Bitter Hearts, Lonely Smiles
by mocharetti
Summary: It seems that Paris' superhero and supervillain duo have taken "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" a bit too far. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir would do anything to see the other defeated. When they obliviously start dating as civilians, neither could have predicted that their nemesis would turn out to be the alter-ego of the one they love. (Enemies AU)
1. Know Thy Enemy

For Chat Noir, it was a situation all too familiar; walking into banks like he owned the place, letting his reputation precede him as civilians cowered in fear at the mere sight of him. In any other context, what appeared to be a blonde teenage boy wearing a cat costume might have been laughable.

Except everyone in Paris knew who he was—Chat Noir, the infamous cat burglar and harbinger of Akuma attacks.

He casually strolled over to the counter, making an effort to show off his sharpened claws as he addressed the terrified-looking bank teller behind the desk. People who had been waiting in line watched in fear, not knowing what he would do next.

"Find the largest safe and hand over everything inside. Try anything and you'll regret it," he said, putting on the most menacing look he was capable of.

As the bank teller turned around, Chat bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. Everyone here was _so_ scared of him. Sometimes he was surprised by his own ability to put on a show. All it took to scare people was the crackling energy of his cataclysm and they would give in to his demands immediately.

Chat glanced around, smirking at the group of people who were watching him intently. To him, it was almost comical—he knew he wasn't going to hurt anyone. They just needed to _think_ that he would. No doubt one of those idiots had already alerted the police via their cellphone of what was happening.

But no matter: that's exactly what he wanted. Any second now, Ladybug would be here. Deep down inside, Chat believed that all of this—this elaborate show, the perpetuated fear—was worth it if he got to see her.

"Chat Noir, can't say that I'm surprised," a female voice sighed from behind him. Chat's heartbeat quickened in excitement at the voice, though he effortlessly maintained his indifferent composure.

He turned around, grinning widely at the new arrival. "Ladybug, I must admit I'm _shocked_! Didn't think I'd see my favorite _pest_ here today." He leaned casually on his baton, putting on a smug expression that would most definitely irritate his arch-nemesis.

 _Yes, this is definitely how you flirt with girls. Make them loathe you as you continuously try to steal their miraculous and wreak havoc on the city, committing petty burglaries along the way as an excuse to see her. You're a genius._

Chat was certain that those thoughts had not been his own—Plagg was taunting him, somehow, even though he wasn't physically here. It would be no surprise, given how determined Plagg was on punishing him for his crimes even though he insisted to the kwami that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

"Shut up kitty-cat, I don't have time for your stupid mind games," Ladybug said, her yo-yo already in motion.

"Ah, but the mind games are the best part!" Chat said, deflecting Ladybug's yo-yo with his baton as it came near him. "Tell you what, give me your miraculous and I'll leave this bank like I was never here. No stolen property, nobody gets hurt. Sound like a deal?"

Ladybug laughed humorlessly. "You're kidding, right? My answer will always be no."

Chat shrugged. "Suit yourself. Guess we'll have to do this the uncivilized way." He quickly readied his baton and then charged towards Ladybug, but she flung her yo-yo towards an exposed beam on the ceiling, quickly and effectively swinging away from his attack.

Changing directions and increasing his speed, Chat Noir charged again, but this time he managed to pin her against the wall with his baton and lock her into place. It didn't take him long to realize how close their face were—he could feel her breaths on his neck. Even though Chat was towering over her, Ladybug looked as confident and unafraid as ever.

For a split-second, Chat stared into Ladybug's eyes, subconsciously admiring just how pretty they were. They were a soft shade of blue, almost like bluebells. But apart from the color, he realized something else; they were filled with hatred. For _him_. And something about Ladybug hating him so much, even though he and pretty much all of Paris knew it already, made his stomach churn.

Chat quickly realized that he had lost focus. Ladybug took his split-second of vulnerability to her advantage, kicking his shin with such force that he buckled over in pain. She ran towards the opposite end of the room. While the two had been engaged in their fight, all of the other people in the bank had taken it as an opportunity to run out of the building.

Chat straightened up from his hunched position, then saw that Ladybug was currently helping the last two people rush out through the doors, including the woman who had been standing at the counter.

In a last-ditch effort, Chat ran towards the counter and jumped right over it. He made his way to the biggest safe and activated his cataclysm. The steel safe began to rust at his touch, turning into nothing more than black ash and revealing a large, heavy bag filled with precious metals, stones, and expensive-looking jewelry inside.

He grabbed the bag of valuables and began to run. Police sirens could be heard from outside, and Chat knew that now was the time for an immediate escape. His ring began to beep in warning. Chat ran towards the back of the building, hoping that the police weren't already surrounding it. The heavy bag of valuables, however, was slowing him down.

Chat was almost near the back exit when he felt something tugging on the bag. He looked back for a moment and saw that Ladybug's yo-yo was coiled around it. The police force was gathering up behind her. With a final, forceful pull, she had somehow managed to unleash it from his grip.

Chat scowled as his prize was taken away from him, but he had no time to retrieve it. His ring was beeping again and the police were probably getting into formation.

Now it was time to escape.

* * *

Chat de-transformed in an alleyway that was halfway between his mansion and the bank. Plagg was now outside of his ring, and the first thing he did was cackle in glee at his failure.

"Aaaand the kitty gets crushed by the bug once again! How pathetic!" Plagg chortled.

"Shut up," Adrien said, grabbing the Kwami and shoving him into his jacket. He flinched when Plagg climbed up towards his neck and bit him.

"Plagg, stop it! No cheese for you," he said angrily. Plagg tested Adrien's patience every day. During Adrien's first few days with his ring, Plagg would simply scold him for his actions, but had now resorted to making everyday living hell for Adrien. At home Adrien would try to trap the kwami to prevent him from doing any damage, but he would escape and then make a mess of his room. At school, Plagg would rip up his homework and eat all of his snacks. Plagg wanted nothing more than to punish Adrien for being a villain instead of the hero that he was "supposed" to be.

Adrien walked towards his mansion, pulling his phone out and not even flinching when the many police cars drove past, their sirens blaring in pursuit of the cat burglar. He was angry that he had been thwarted by Ladybug again.

He hadn't even wanted the money. All he had wanted was another chance to take Ladybug's miraculous. Getting to see her was just another bonus.

Adrien stood at the entry gate of his home, and was let in after the surveillance camera scanned him. He made his way up the steps and entered the mansion, seeing that Nathalie was waiting for him inside.

"Your father wants to see you in his office," she informed him.

Adrien's heart sunk at this notion, but he turned left and headed towards his father's office anyway. He pushed the door open and saw his father seated at his desk, looking intently at something on his laptop.

"You wanted to see me, father?" Adrien asked.

"Sit down," Gabriel responded, not even bothering to greet him properly.

Adrien sat down in front of his desk, waiting for his father to speak. Gabriel then scrutinized his son, an unreadable expression on his face. "Explain this," he demanded, turning the laptop around and showing him the local news article. The headline blared the caption Chat Noir Strikes Again, Escapes: Ladybug Prevents Another Robbery. The article had only been posted ten minutes ago.

Adrien looked away from his father's gaze, instead focusing on the wall. He couldn't explain. His subconscious reason for these robberies was Ladybug, but he could never admit this to him. He would take away his miraculous in a heartbeat if he ever found out Adrien's deeply suppressed but undeniable feelings for her. It went against his very purpose.

"I was bored," Adrien said indifferently.

At least this response had elicited a reaction. "Adrien, I didn't steal this miraculous so that you could become a pitiful modern-day version of Robin Hood. You have one relatively simple job, and that is to be present during Akuma attacks so you can take Ladybug's miraculous. Why is it so difficult for you to stay away from other crimes, which are nothing more than pointless distractions?" Gabriel glared at Adrien accusingly.

Adrien could faintly feel anger at the pit of his stomach when his father accused him of trying to be "Robin Hood." He was referring to Adrien's tendency to steal and then anonymously donate the money to charity organizations. Of course, that was only on the few occasions he had been successful. After all, what was he supposed to do with all that money? He was already rich, and Adrien couldn't care less about money. He robbed banks not only for the chance to see Ladybug, but for the thrill. The freedom.

Carrying out his father's plans was the cost of his freedom.

It had all started when he was twelve years old, when his mother disappeared. He remembered the day that his father came into his room one morning, after Adrien had spent practically an entire night crying over the loss of his mother. Gabriel had comforted him, and then made an unusual statement.

 _"Shh, stop crying. Now look at me," Gabriel said, while he held his son in his arms. Adrien sniffled, his eyes red and puffy from the tears._

 _"Do you want to help me get your mother back?" Gabriel asked him gently._

 _Adrien looked at him, wide-eyed at the idea that he could do something to help. He nodded his head as a yes._

 _Gabriel turned and picked up a black and red hexagon-shaped box that he had brought with him into Adrien's room. He opened the box and let Adrien see the black ring that was inside._

 _Adrien reached out to pick it up, but Gabriel closed it before he could even touch it._

 _"Not yet, my son. You are not old enough. For now, you will begin fencing lessons with some of the best instructors in France. You will also begin Taekwondo lessons at the end of this week."_

 _Adrien looked at his father with a confused expression on his face. He wasn't sure how fighting lessons could possibly help get his mother back, and his father was being awfully vague._

 _"You will understand when it's time. If you want your mother back, you will listen to everything I say from now on. Do you understand, Adrien?"_

 _Adrien agreed hesitantly, but couldn't understand why his father was being so cryptic. Why was the ring such a big deal? How could a piece of jewelry possibly help him get his mother back?  
_  
Gabriel had been training him for this for years, but Adrien had grown sick of how controlling his father had become after his mother's disappearance. When he had told Adrien to do everything he said, Adrien didn't realize how literal he was being. He began to fight back with his words, then half-assed things just to get a rise out of his father.

Then, when Adrien had turned 15 last year and discovered the full extent of his father's plans, learned what a kwami was and what he would be doing, he took it as an opportunity to finally gain the freedom that he felt he deserved. Adrien agreed to all of Gabriel's terms, but on one condition: he would be allowed to go to public school.

Adrien vividly remembered the face that his father made at his request. Public school? Out of all the things he could have asked for, why _that_? Gabriel grudgingly obliged, but threatened to pull him out of school if he caused any trouble. Adrien had longed to interact with other people his age, and was sick of spending his life enclosed within the cold, dark walls of his mansion home. The only friend he was allowed to have for his entire life had been Chloe, the mayor's daughter, but only because his father was on close terms with the mayor.

Of course, Adrien being allowed to rob banks had never been part of the deal, which was why he was currently sitting in his father's office.

Gabriel sighed, eyeing his son with a weary expression. "You need to focus on the task I have given you. I have entrusted you with a great power, and that power comes with great responsibility."

Adrien couldn't help but scowl. "And that 'responsibility' is just doing whatever you tell me to do, right?"

"Control your tongue," Gabriel replied curtly. He still looked calm and collected, but his eyes narrowed at Adrien's rudeness. "I hope my words made it through your thick head. Additionally, I've scheduled two more photoshoots for this weekend. I thought I should inform you in advance."

"Perfect. Can't wait," Adrien said bitterly, and then stood up to leave. "Oh, and another thing—can you maybe _not_ cause an Akuma when I'm at school? Ditching class isn't an easy thing to do."

Gabriel looked indifferent. "You know I have a tight schedule, Adrien. I can't afford to waste any free time, even if it's a slight inconvenience to you. Also remember that it wouldn't be a problem if you were being homeschooled."

Adrien should have expected that his father wouldn't care. He didn't say anything else as he left his father's office, wanting nothing more than to just curl up in bed and sleep, but knowing that he couldn't with all the tasks that were expected of him. He wondered what life would be like if he could just do whatever his heart desired. To not have a father who controlled every aspect of his life. To be the person he wanted to be, to know what it was like to have the freedom to make his own choices.

But deep down he knew that he would never truly be free. His father would make sure of that, he thought bitterly.

* * *

Marinette was exhausted after facing off against Chat Noir at the bank. She leaned back against her chair in front of her computer, desperately wishing for just _one_ weekend where she didn't have to deal with that _stupid_ cat and his seemingly random crimes.

Dealing with Akuma attacks was difficult enough, but these bank robberies that Chat had developed a habit of were really starting to get under her skin. All she had wanted was a peaceful Sunday for her to work on her designs, but of course he had to ruin that for her too.

It was understatement to just say that she hated him.

Chat Noir was the bane of her existence. Growing up, Marinette's parents had always reminded her to see the good in everyone and not to judge others. Chat was the exception. There was no way she could see the good in someone so reprehensible.

And yet sometimes he had the audacity to _flirt_ with her when they were fighting. She was convinced that it was some sort of manipulative mind game. What other explanation could there be? It just made him even more infuriating, if possible.

"He had me pushed against a wall, Tikki, and he was staring into my eyes. It was so weird and disgusting," Marinette recounted, fidgeting with her pencil.

"Maybe he's in love with you," Tikki piped unhelpfully.

"Oh my God, stop," Marinette groaned, repulsed at the very thought. It _would_ explain a few of his actions, but she refused to dwell on that unpleasant idea.

Besides, it was impossible; nobody fell in love with their _enemy_ , of all people.

Marinette's phone buzzed on her desk. She picked it up and looked at the screen, seeing that Alya had sent her a text.

 _Alya: New photoshoot pics! Thought you might be interested ;)_

Marinette tapped on the link that Alya had sent her and eagerly looked at the pictures. Her excuse to Alya was that she simply admired Gabriel Agreste's designs—which she truly did.

Clearly, Alya didn't buy it, and was rightly convinced that Marinette just wanted another excuse to "ogle" at her crush.

"That suit," Marinette gasped, looking at a particularly attractive picture of Adrien wearing a crisp white suit from his father's new formal fashion line.

"Let me guess...you're looking at pictures of Adrien, aren't you?" Tikki said wearily. Marinette's kwami knew her too well.

"Maybe," she said, grinning like the lovestruck 16 year-old that she was.

"You know, Marinette, your crush on Adrien isn't very healthy...perhaps you should consider some other boys instead…?" Tikki suggested.

"What?" Marinette demanded, somewhat offended at what Tikki was suggesting. " _Other_ boys? What's wrong with Adrien?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Tikki said nervously. "I just thought I would offer some advice."

"Well, I don't need it," Marinette said dismissively. "Adrien is perfect for me. You know, I've been stuttering a lot less around him lately."

"That's great, Marinette," Tikki said lightly, wishing there was some way to tell her that Adrien was not, in fact, who she thought he was.

 _Maybe I'm wrong about Adrien,_ Tikki thought doubtfully. But her suspicions were seldom wrong.


	2. Hidden in Plain Sight

Marinette didn't know how she ended up sitting close to Adrien in all of her classes. Not that she was complaining, of course. In her homeroom class, she was right behind him. In chemistry, they were lab partners, and in math, they sat right next to each other.

Unlike last year, however, Marinette had now learned how to manage her emotions around him since he was constantly around.

By the end of last year, there was an unspoken agreement that Adrien was now part of "the squad," as Alya liked to call it. He sat with the three of them at lunch and during study hall. On a few occasions, the four of them had even spent time together outside of school. This happened more frequently after Nino and Alya began dating by the end of the previous school year.

With a smug smile, Marinette remembered how she locked her two friends in a cage during an Akuma attack at the zoo. As Ladybug, she had been too busy dealing with Chat Noir and the Animan to think of a better place to keep them safe. She was glad, however, that she was partially responsible for igniting the spark of their relationship.

"NINO!" Alya said angrily as he began writing on the poster board. Nino looked up in surprise, wondering what he had done to make her angry.

"What did I do _this_ time?" he asked her irritably.

"I specifically told you _not_ to write on the poster board! Mari is going to write everything. We can't have your chicken scratch ruining the look of our project," Alya said, snatching the sharpie away from him.

"Alright, alright. Marinette's handwriting is good but mine isn't _that_ bad…" he grumbled.

"Nobody can read your handwriting, Nino. It's terrible," Adrien commented without looking up. He was busy doing research for their project. So far, he had been the most productive person during the study hall period, somehow writing up six whole paragraphs that would be glued onto the poster board while the other three had barely started.

Marinette heard Nino mutter under his breath about "perfectionists" while two other people showed up standing by their table. She looked up and saw who it was, and couldn't help but groan internally.

If Marinette had a list of people she disliked, Chat Noir would be at the top of that hypothetical list while Chloe would come in at second. And here she was, scrutinizing their poster and smirking at their progress. As usual, Sabrina was right beside her, practically mirroring everything she did.

"Nice progress guys, keep up the great work," Chloe said sarcastically. She looked towards Adrien as she spoke again. "Adrikins, you should have listened to me when I invited you to be in my group. Max is almost done with our poster and you could have just sat back and relaxed!"

Adrien was still focused on his work, typing at incredible speed and still not bothering to look up. "I'm fine Chloe. I don't mind working," was all he said.

Clearly, this was not the response she had been looking for. Chloe simply frowned and motioned for Sabrina to follow. She walked away from them with a haughty attitude, and Marinette had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

"What a brat! Not everyone can have everything just _handed_ to them in a silver platter," Alya said, aggressively gluing a piece of paper onto their poster. "I _hate_ people who think they're entitled to other people's hard work just because of status. And what does she ever accomplish? Nothing! She just sits back and makes everyone do the work for her!"

"Chill, it's just Chloe," Nino chuckled. "Everyone knows she's an airhead."

From Alya's description of Chloe, Marinette couldn't help but think of Chat Noir. He certainly felt entitled to other people's money, as shown by his habit of robbing banks and jewelry stores, threatening people to hand over their valuables. He also felt entitled to her miraculous, for some reason.

Of course, Chloe and Chat Noir weren't even _close_ when it came to how bad they were. Chloe was just a school bully. Chat Noir was a villain and a criminal, one who threatened her very existence. He had hurt her plenty of times in battle, but she was never _truly_ hurt because of her suit. He had always gotten close to using his cataclysm on her, but not once had he actually gone through with it. Did Chat Noir want her _dead_? Or did he truly _just_ want her miraculous?

Marinette didn't think she would ever find out what went on in that stupid cat's head.

"Guys, I'm hungry. Should we start putting everything away and get ready for lunch?" Adrien suggested, closing his laptop.

Nino got out from his chair, looking ecstatic at the suggestion of getting food. "I second that!" As he got up, however, he managed to push all of their sharpies and printouts onto the floor off the table with his elbow.

"NINO!" Alya shouted, looking one-hundred percent done with her boyfriend.

* * *

It was a pleasant afternoon, so the four friends decided to eat their lunches outside on the many picnic tables that were available on the school grounds. October had just begun, but the weather was just warm enough for them to enjoy the outdoors without needing any more layers of clothing. There were leaves all around, and the air smelled clean and fresh with rain.

While sitting at the outdoor table, Marinette's heart was racing over the fact that she was sitting beside Adrien. She knew that Alya and Nino had done this on purpose—sitting on the same side, forcing her and Adrien to sit together. (Alya gave her a thumbs-up when he wasn't looking.)

"You should really eat more than that," Nino commented, eyeing Adrien's salad and water bottle. "I mean, that just looks so unsatisfying."

"I'm not allowed to. Model diet and all…" Adrien shrugged dismissively. Marinette felt a twinge of pity for him. Her parents thought it was a crime to deprive anyone of food, which was partially the reason they were in the food business.

"Take my chips," Alya said, throwing her bag of potato chips towards him.

"Oh no, I couldn't. It's your food, not mine," Adrien hesitated.

"Hey, _I'm_ the one who should be on a diet, not you. Take it," Alya insisted. Adrien finally agreed, accepting the bag of chips from his friend. Marinette was glad that Adrien had friends who could help take care of him. She decided to bring extra food from the bakery next time, that way she could give him more food to eat as well.

* * *

Adrien's stomach growled as he opened the bag of chips, trying to remember the last time he had been allowed to eat something like this. His father and dietician had banned any and all junk food from the house. The only junk food he ate was when he was with Nino, who was usually generous enough to share it with him.

He owed them all so much. It was because of his three friends that he didn't regret asking his father to go to public school. It was unfortunate, however, that he had started school the same time that his father had entrusted him with his ring, so Adrien had never been able to experience school like a normal teenager.

Well, as normal as it could get while being a part-time, relatively well-known model. Combined with his 'evil' alter-ego, Adrien wondered if he was three different people all at once. Normalcy just wasn't part of his fate, it seemed.

"Did you guys hear that Chat Noir tried robbing another bank yesterday?" Alya asked, her eyes on her phone. "It was all over the news."

Adrien became anxious at the sudden turn that their conversation had taken. Chat Noir was the most well-known criminal and villain known to Paris, so he was used to overhearing people talking about him at school. The frequency of those conversations increased after either an Akuma attack or a robbery, and Adrien tried his best not to smirk, laugh, or contribute to those conversations.

"Key word— _tried_." Nino laughed. "Ladybug always stops him. His attempts are pathetic."

Adrien couldn't help but intervene. "I mean, he's been successful a few times though, right?" he said, trying to hide the fact that he was slightly offended at Nino laughing at him like that.

"I just hope Ladybug gets him locked up for good. All he does is terrorize the city with Akuma attacks and robberies, Paris isn't safe anymore with him around. Do you know how many times people from our school have been Akumatized? He should rot in a jail cell where he belongs," Alya said, while she updated the Ladyblog on her phone.

Adrien didn't like how misinformed Alya was, and at this point he couldn't stop himself from talking. "Based on what I've heard from the internet, Chat Noir doesn't actually _cause_ the Akumas. They say that a villain named Hawkmoth does that. And besides, maybe there's a _reason_ he does all of that stuff, maybe he's not as insane and horrible as everyone thinks he is."

Adrien quickly regretted his last statement, wondering if it sounded too defensive of himself. This was why he had forbidden himself from getting involved in Chat Noir-related conversations.

Now Marinette was looking at him with a weird expression on her face, and Adrien was sweating uncomfortably. He had said too much.

"A _reason?_ Do you think _any_ reason justifies using innocent people to get what he wants? And I'm sure anyone who runs around the city committing crimes is an insane, horrible person who thinks they're above the law, whatever reason that may be," Marinette said, her dislike for him seething with every word.

Adrien was shocked at how angrily she spoke against Chat Noir. He knew that everyone in Paris hated him, but Marinette took it much more personally. Had someone she cared about been Akumatized? Had he stolen money that belonged to her family? It was now that Adrien began wondering how much he had personally impacted civilians. He thought the only person he affected personally was Ladybug.

He also realized, with great discomfort, that all three of his friends actually hated him. Adrien wondered how they would react if they ever learned of his secret. There was no doubt in his mind that they would alert authorities to have him arrested on the spot, then regret ever wasting a second being kind to him. Nino claimed to be his best friend, but was he really? He would never say that if he knew the _other_ Adrien...also known as Chat Noir.

He was suddenly conscious that his hand was exposed on top of the picnic table. He adjusted his hand so that it was underneath it, thankful that his ring changed appearance when it was activated.

It was time to fix the damage. "Sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean it that way. I have a habit of psychoanalyzing people, I wasn't actually defending Chat Noir," Adrien explained while looking sincerely into her eyes.

 _Her eyes..._

They were the most beautiful shade of blue. They reminded him of bluebells, the same way that Ladybug's eyes did. His heart skipped a beat at the memory, but when he thought of Ladybug, he tried his best to focus on his friends instead of her. Somehow, he needed to learn how to control his feelings.

Would he ever be able to look into Marinette's eyes the same way again? Looking at her would only remind him of Ladybug's eyes, something that he both wanted to and didn't want to think about.

But for now...he knew that he was in love with this shade of blue.


	3. A Devil Can Wear Angel's Wings

It was a situation all too familiar—like prey cornered by its predator, Ladybug had found herself at yet another dead end while Chat closed in on her during an Akuma attack. Ladybug couldn't understand why she always ended up like this, but she did know that once again, he was far too close to her for comfort. Chat pushed her against the wall, his hand gripping her shoulder tightly and holding her firmly in in place.

But unlike all those other times, Chat did something that was very much out of the ordinary. With his other hand, he then proceeded to grab her neck. He smirked at the fear that was evident on Ladybug's face. She was shocked—horrified, even, that her enemy was resorting to such techniques.

Then she noticed that his grip on her neck wasn't very tight. In fact, it barely even hurt, and it felt more like he was simply keeping her in place than anything else.

"Give me your miraculous or I'll strangle you," he demanded. His expression was cold yet determined, and a satisfied smirk flitted across his face. If it weren't for the magic of her earrings, Chat would have been able to simply pull her earrings out himself, but they both knew that a miraculous could only be given up willingly by the person who was in possession of it.

Ladybug laughed shakily, trying to suppress the fear that was slowly beginning to overwhelm her. Then she reminded herself to look at the situation rationally rather than give into Chat's obvious fear tactics. After all, she wasn't an idiot. She had known Chat Noir long enough to know that everything he did was just an act. "Go ahead, strangle me. You've never killed before. Might as well start now," she challenged.

Chat tightened his grip a little, still refusing to give up. "You don't think I'll do it? Because I _will_ , unless you give me what I want," he continued threateningly.

"We both know that's not true, _kitty-cat_ ," Ladybug responded condescendingly, narrowing her eyes. Her life was on the line but she continued to challenge him, testing his limits. Deep down, however, she knew that he didn't have the guts to kill her. If Chat wanted her dead, he would have done it ages ago.

His grip on her neck continued to grow tighter, but Ladybug didn't fight back. She wasn't gasping for air yet, but any longer and Ladybug knew she would. How long until her survival instincts kicked in?

And then he let go.

Chat's hands finally released her from his hold. He had a sour expression on his face, looking angry at either Ladybug or perhaps even himself.

"Thanks for not killing me. You're such a gentleman," Ladybug smirked, then proceeded to punch him squarely in the face before running away to fight the Akuma.

* * *

Marinette was exhausted. After painstakingly defeating the Akuma and avoiding another difficult confrontation with Chat Noir, she had gone to Alya's house to study for her history test tomorrow. They had been studying for a couple of hours, and Marinette had been completely out of it the entire time. She hadn't even realized that it was almost night time, and the last remaining minutes of the evening were quickly slipping away.

"Marinette, are you alright? I know you don't get enough sleep but you look totally worn down. I think that's enough studying for today," Alya said, closing her book and looking at her friend with deep concern. Marinette jumped at the noise.

"Go home, get some rest. You need it."

Marinette got up, feeling physically and mentally miserable. She collected her books and stuffed them carelessly into her bag, hoping she hadn't accidentally hurt Tikki in the process.

"Do you want to wait until my mom comes home? She could drive you, it would be safer. You shouldn't go out alone this late," Alya suggested.

Marinette just chuckled, walking towards the door of Alya's room, her legs aching and her neck still sore from her encounter with Chat Noir. "I'll be fine," she said, promising to text Alya as soon as she got home as she stepped out her friend's house.

The streets were dark and generally empty, except for the few cars that drove past. Marinette knew that walking home alone was reckless. She was a sixteen year old girl, alone on the streets of a big city at night. This was a recipe for disaster.

However, Marinette figured that her home was only two blocks away. She would be able to make it with no problem, and if worst came to worst, she could always transform into Ladybug. Nobody would mess with a super hero, especially one who dealt with the worst of all the criminals on a weekly basis.

Marinette kept walking, and was almost halfway home. She wondered if she was simply imagining the sound of footsteps coming from behind her.

Cautiously, Marinette turned her head to glance behind her. Sure enough, there was a hooded man walking in the same direction as her. He wasn't close, but he wasn't far either.

Marinette's heart began beating faster in fear. She was never even this scared when fighting Chat, but with him there was at least an element of familiarity.

She kept walking, quickening her pace to keep a distance between her and the hooded man. Marinette clutched her bag tightly, opening the pouch with Tikki in it just in case. She had always been cautious about her identity, and decided not to do anything unless the man did something out of the ordinary. Perhaps she was just being paranoid.

She glanced behind her again, and was alarmed to see that the distance between her and the man was closing in. His footsteps became quicker just as her's had, and it was now that Marinette knew that this was not some innocent pedestrian.

Marinette began running, and she panickedly surveyed her surroundings as she did. She was running along a narrow street with a few small shops on either side, but all of them were closed. Even if she screamed, there would be no one around to hear her.

She had used this small street as a shortcut, but now deeply regretted this decision. If she had taken the longer route, Marinette would at least have been at a busier street where her cries for help might have attracted attention.

Marinette tripped on an uneven portion of the road, falling hard and scraping her hands and chin. She lost hold of her bag, which was lying a few feet away as a result of her fall, just barely out of reach.

She needed to get to her bag. She needed to transform _now_.

But it was too late. The man approached her, and Marinette saw something shiny glinting in his hand. She tried screaming when she realized that it was a knife, but he put his hand on top of her mouth before she could even make a sound.

The man shoved her onto the ground, hovering beside her as he held the knife close to her neck. His hood cast a shadow across his face.

"Shhh beautiful...don't struggle," the man said in his raspy voice, sounding pleased at Marinette's helplessness.

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, hoping for some sort of miracle. Marinette closed her eyes, never feeling more pathetic and helpless in her entire life. Was this the fate of Paris' most beloved superhero? How could _Ladybug_ let this happen to her?

Suddenly, she heard something— _someone_? fall from above. A tall male with blond hair, clad in what appeared to be leather shoved the hooded man forcefully against the brick wall.

The hooded man tried crawling away, but the blond grabbed him by the waist and threw him against the ground. This time, the hooded man did not stir. He lay motionless on the street, while Marinette watched the entire scene unfold.

"Is he—?" she managed to ask, her voice hoarse, but the blond answered her without turning around.

"Nope. Just unconscious. Let's just leave this scumbag here until the police arrive, I've already got it covered."

Marinette had never felt so relieved. But something in her tired brain was still panicking even after she had been saved by her blond-haired hero.

Hang on...that voice was familiar. The only source of light was the moon and some distant streetlights, but even then she could make out some peculiar features. Was that...a _tail_? _Cat_ _ears_?

The blond turned around, and Marinette's eyes widened with fear. She could have ran away, but he had her bag. And quite frankly, she was too shocked and afraid to move anyway.

 _Chat Noir had just saved her life._

"Right, anyway, this is yours," he said, holding out her bag for her to retrieve it. Marinette knew that she needed to take it. Her bag had Tikki in it. There was no way she could leave without her.

Marinette didn't move. She was still trying to recover from the fear of the hooded man, but finding Chat Noir in his place did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves. This was simply too much to take in.

"So...are you going to take it or not?" he repeated, looking at her expectantly.

Marinette gathered up the little bit of courage she had left, then inched forward to retrieve her bag from him. Chat made no threatening movements.

"You don't have to be scared of me, Mar—I mean, girl who I've never met before," Chat said with a chuckle. "Considering I just saved your life and everything."

She just blinked at him and continued on her way, wanting nothing more in the world than to be home. Except now, Chat Noir was walking along beside her.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

"Walking you home, obviously. Can't have anyone else attacking you now can we, Princess?" Chat said this is as if his reasoning was obvious.

"Don't call me that," Marinette retorted. She was trying to hide her disgust at being so helpless a few moments ago to the point where _Chat Noir_ of all people had to swoop in to save her.

"Well, you didn't tell me your name. And considering that I'm your knight in leather armor—" he began, but Marinette cut him off before his ego inflated any further.

"I don't tell criminals my name," she answered curtly. Marinette hated that he kept reminding her of the fact that he had just rescued her, especially since he had considered strangling her earlier today.

Chat Noir thought she was some weak, defenseless young girl. Marinette smirked.

"Oh, so now you're so _big_ and _strong_ , huh?" Marinette mocked. "What about all those times Ladybug has kicked your ass?" She wasn't one to use language, typically, but Marinette still had some lingering anger towards Chat for trying to strangle her earlier today and for just making her life difficult in general.

Chat looked at her with a curious expression on his face. "You know, you're being pretty rude to me even though I literally just saved your life. a simple thank you would have been nice."

"Thanks for committing _one_ measly act of good among your endless list of crimes," she retorted bitterly.

"Not exactly the kind of gratitude I hoped for, but at least it's something," Chat sighed. The were both walking side by side, and Marinette hated every second of it. She knew she was getting closer to home, and was suddenly dreading the idea of Chat Noir knowing where she lived.

Still, he had proven thus far that he had no intention of hurting Marinette. If she were transformed, however, _that_ was another story. If Chat Noir only knew that he was currently escorting Ladybug home...Marinette could only imagine how that would play out.

After a brief, somewhat awkward silence, Chat spoke again. "What were you even _doing_ walking out alone this late? Are you out of your mind?" He looked at her carefully. If Marinette didn't know any better, she would have registered that expression as concern. Except Chat didn't care about anyone. He was incapable of concern.

"None of your business," she answered simply. "And by the way, my house is nearly in sight. You can leave now. Go hide out in a creepy corner or something like you seemed to have been doing earlier."

Chat stopped in his tracks. Marinette suddenly felt afraid again, wondering why he had stopped walking so abruptly. Had she been a little bit _too_ mean? Was he going to attack her now, realizing his mistake of helping someone for the first time in his life?

Chat put both hands on Marinette's shoulders. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, and his touch brought chills up her spine. She looked up into his glowing green eyes, and was surprised to see that they were not displaying any kind of hatred like she was using to seeing.

He looked at her with a mix of sincerity and desperation, two emotions that Marinette thought Chat Noir was incapable of. "Do you really think I would have just sat by and watched an innocent girl be attacked like that when I could have done something to help?" He inquired, searching her eyes for some sort of response. "Do you really think I'm _that_ cold-hearted and evil?" She just stared back at him blankly, not wanting him to read her emotions.

Marinette merely blinked and didn't answer, turning her head away from him. She defiantly continued walking, leaving Chat behind her. Problem was, he was persistent and quickly caught up to her.

"Look, I get it. I understand why you hate me—I mean, everyone does. But what I do is _just_ between me and Ladybug. I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but I have reasons for everything. I don't enjoy creating chaos with Akuma attacks. In fact, I don't really have a choice," he continued.

Marinette couldn't believe that Chat Noir 'didn't have a choice.' Everyone had a choice. And was he _really_ trying to defend his actions to her? After all that he had done? She was also amazed at the fact that he seemed so desperate to tell her this. After all, why would Chat Noir care what some random civilian thought of him?

Once again she didn't respond. Marinette figured that he would have left her by now, but he still walked dutifully by her side, giving off the vibe of a protective guardian.

Marinette approached the side entrance to her home, taking out her keys from her bag. She turned to face Chat Noir once more, noticing that her anger towards him had been slowly subsiding throughout the duration of their walk together. She looked at him with a searching expression, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

"Thank you," she finally said, as if in defeat.

He responded with a large grin, as if this is exactly what he wanted to hear. Chat turned around, pulling out his baton to get ready to leave. He glanced back at her, uttering one last phrase.

"Anytime, Princess."


	4. Keep Your Enemies Closer

The next morning, Adrien's classmates had all been engaged in conversation before class started. For the past few minutes he had been half-listening to Alya and Nino talk about Jagged Stone's newest album, but his mind had been occupied thinking about Marinette.

She still hadn't arrived to class yet, and he couldn't help but feel worried for her. Granted, she had been incredibly rude to him last night after he had saved her life. But after the way she had spoke against Chat Noir a few days ago at lunch, he hadn't really been surprised. He was a villain and a criminal. Adrien shouldn't have expected her to immediately change her perspective on him after one act of heroism. She had made it very clear that she loathed Chat Noir with every fiber of being. Nonetheless, she had eventually thanked him, and that small hint of gratitude gave him some hope.

Adrien mentally sighed in relief when he saw her walk into class, the last one to arrive as usual. She greeted her friends with a tired smile, and Adrien immediately noticed that her hair was not in her signature pigtails. She had faint bags under her eyes and her hair looked like she hadn't even bothered with it at all.

"Mari, I _told_ you to get some sleep last night! You still look completely worn down," Alya scolded, frowning at her friend's dishevelment.

"I got plenty of sleep, don't worry," Marinette said dismissively, sitting down in the seat behind Adrien. He turned around to face her, and so did Nino and Alya.

"Thanks for texting me when you got home, by the way. I was so worried about you walking home alone at night like that," Alya told her.

Marinette laughed tiredly, taking out her books. "No problem. I got home just fine, told you there was nothing to worry about."

Adrien stared at her, knowing for a fact that she was flat-out lying. She had not been fine. She had not been fine _at all_. In fact, he couldn't believe that Alya could have allowed her friend to do something like that.

"You shouldn't have done that," Adrien told her. He knew what her actions had resulted in. After all, _he_ was the one who had saved her life yesterday.

"What?" Marinette asked, looking at him in surprise. His comment had caught her off guard.

"Walking home alone at night," Adrien said, realizing that all three of his friends were looking at him now. "That's completely unsafe and you shouldn't have taken the risk."

Marinette seemed to be blushing slightly. "I-I told you, I was fine." Adrien noticed that she seemed slightly nervous as she was talking to him, as usual. He didn't know why, but Marinette always seemed to be put on edge by him. Adrien had always assumed it was because he was a model and the son of one of the wealthiest and well-known people in Paris, but Marinette was otherwise very outgoing when it came to other people. He really hoped that his status wasn't the reason she acted so nervous and jittery around him.

He also thought it was amazing that this same exact girl had insulted him with such profound hatred yesterday.

Adrien raised an eyebrow at her insistence. "We all know the city isn't safe these days, especially not with Chat Noir around. What if he had gotten a hold of you?" Adrien couldn't resist. He subtly bit his lip to prevent from laughing. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he waited for her response.

Marinette's nervousness was gone for a moment, and she stared back at him with a questioning glance. The mere mention of Chat Noir seemed to have set off something inside of her, based on how her expression had changed so drastically.

"I'm not scared of Chat Noir," she responded, averting her gaze away from Adrien. Marinette angrily set her books onto the table with a loud _thud_.

"He's right though," Alya said. "I shouldn't have let you leave. I should have made you wait until my mom came home."

"Would you all stop berating me?" Marinette snapped. "Just let it go, alright? I made it home completely fine. Just drop it."

Adrien stared at Marinette with a searching expression. He seemed to have underestimated her hatred for Chat Noir, considering how drastically her mood changed after the subject was brought up. He wasn't going to deny that a part of him felt hurt and slightly disappointed. She would rather lie about making it home without any problems than admit to anyone that Chat Noir had saved her from a street thug.

He turned around to face the front of his classroom once the bell finally rang. Marinette still occupied his thoughts, as he wondered how she might react if she knew that Chat Noir was sitting right in front of her. Would she still hate him? They were friends, after all. They might not be close friends but she still seemed to like him enough to tolerate his constant presence.

Adrien also couldn't explain why her opinion of Chat Noir mattered to him so much.

* * *

There were only a few instances where Marinette felt truly at peace. One of those instances was when she sat on her balcony late at night, when there was nothing but the sky and the moon above her. She felt safe here—she was outside and exposed to the city, but still within the comfort and safety of her own home.

Marinette wasn't going to deny that the horrible events of last night hadn't shook her up. She hadn't told anyone about it, neither her parents nor her friends. Marinette didn't want to leave her house at night ever again. She felt like a coward when she thought about her new fear—She was _Ladybug,_ for heaven's sake, and everyone looked up to her to protect them. Ladybug wasn't allowed to be afraid. It contradicted her very purpose.

"What's bothering you, Marinette?" Tikki chirped. The tiny kwami's face was illuminated by the fairy lights that Marinette had hung onto the wall of the balcony.

Marinette sighed, not quite knowing how to answer that question. "I just...I feel so pathetic," she admitted, a certain bitterness evident in her voice. Marinette set aside her chemistry binder, figuring that it was useless trying to get any homework done. Her problem set worksheet lay on top, practically blank.

"You're not pathetic at all," Tikki said with a concerned expression.

Marinette gave a humorless laugh. "I couldn't protect myself yesterday. And although Chat Noir saved me, thinking about it just makes it worse. I had to rely on the _one_ person who I see as my biggest threat. Ironic, isn't it?"

Tikki fluttered closer towards Marinette, resting on top of her leg. "Being vulnerable once doesn't make you a weak person, Marinette," she said gently. "And it doesn't matter who Chat Noir is, you survived because of him. What truly matters is that you're okay."

"Tikki, can I tell you something?" Marinette said, barely above a whisper.

"Of course," she answered back.

"Chat Noir scares me."

Marinette hated to admit it. It was the one thing she refused to say out loud or even admit to herself.

"But you're stronger than him. You've beaten him so many times," Tikki responded.

"I know," Marinette sighed. "When I'm fighting him, I've learned how to just push that fear to the back of my mind. It's still there, subconsciously. I don't let him see that I'm afraid, because if he knew, it would make it all worse. I mask my fear with hatred instead. It helps."

She didn't know if anything she was saying made any sense. Marinette didn't even understand her feelings herself.

Tikki sighed, looking sad at everything that Marinette had just said. "You know, it's not supposed to be like this."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Chat Noir isn't supposed to be your enemy. There have been many Chat Noirs and Ladybugs throughout history, and none of them have ever been enemies until now. You're supposed to be partners. The cat and the ladybug miraculous are two parts of a whole, and are meant to work together in harmony," Tikki explained.

Marinette couldn't believe this. "If it's not supposed to be like this, then why _is_ it?"

"Each miraculous is meant to be given to the person who proves themselves to be worthy. You were chosen to be Ladybug. My guess is that the cat miraculous was stolen and given to Chat Noir, but he was not chosen. That must have disrupted the balance."

Marinette listened to this carefully. "You said that the two miraculouses are two parts of a whole. What do you mean by that?"

"You're not going to like what I tell you, _"_ Tikki answered hesitantly. This only made Marinette want to know more.

"Just tell me," she insisted.

"What I mean is...you and Chat Noir are literally soulmates," Tikki explained, bracing for Marinette's reaction.

Marinette stared at her kwami in horror. " _Soulmates_?" She had believed in soul mates all her life. But now, she wasn't so sure. It was completely, utterly, and despicably absurd that she and Chat Noir could be soul mates. Like Tikki had said, Chat Noir was an unconventional Chat Noir, who for some reason was her enemy instead of her partner. Maybe the whole soulmates thing didn't actually apply to them.

"Never mind all of that," Tikki sighed. "Just know...you don't have to be afraid of him. Try to humanize him. Behind that mask, he's just another teenager like you. Dehumanizing someone just makes them scarier than they need to be. "

The thought of Chat Noir as an ordinary person was absurd and foreign to her. Although logically he _had_ to have a civilian life just like her, it was hard for her to wrap her brain around the idea. But if she knew who he really was, would she still be afraid?

"This is all making my head spin," she muttered, placing her chemistry binder back onto her lap. Marinette decided that she might as well get some work done instead of thinking about Chat Noir.

Tikki yawned and bid Marinette goodnight before flying into Marinette's purse, presumably going to sleep after this long day.

* * *

Chat Noir was feeling restless. In a surge of productive energy, he had managed to get through all of his lessons and then complete all of his homework with hours left to spare. He figured that jumping across the rooftops of Paris might help him relieve some of his energy, and the cool night air was just too good to resist.

It had only been a few minutes since he had slipped out of his bedroom. He figured out months ago how to disable the security alarm on his windows, so his father had yet to find out about his nightly escapades.

He felt _free_.

The night was all his to enjoy. Nobody could stop him from going wherever he wanted. Chat watched the city from afar, enjoying how vibrant and full of life everything seemed from above.

Chat was standing on a rooftop that was at the corner of the street by his school. It was a busy street, even at night. From the distance, he could smell something very strong. Was that... _bread_? His sense of smell wasn't deceiving him. Along with it, he could smell sweets such as cake and cookies.

He realized that it was coming from Marinette's parents' bakery. Chat ran across the nearby rooftops until he got close enough to the bakery, and saw that on top of the building was a small balcony. He wouldn't have been able to see it from down below, but the balcony was unmistakable from his elevation, and Chat could even see that a string of fairy lights illuminated it.

He could see Marinette. Chat couldn't help but feel a little stalker-ish. He watched from a short distance away, seeing that she was writing on something in her lap. Even from this distance she seemed tired.

In fact, he had noticed that Marinette seemed tired and upset all day at figured that she must still be shaken up after what had happened last night. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened yesterday, and there was no way for him to ask her if she was okay without raising suspicion. It pained him that he couldn't ask her about it.

Chat saw her yawn. Then she looked frustrated as she erased something on the paper that was in her lap. He chuckled to himself, knowing that look of frustration all too well. That was the face that she made when she was working on chemistry worksheets. He was her lab partner, after all, and Chat knew that she despised that subject.

He wanted to talk to her. Chat knew it was risky—she hated him, and might possibly scream in terror if she saw him approaching. He didn't want to scare her or make her more upset.

But maybe this was his chance. He _had_ saved her life yesterday. Chat had a feasible excuse for wanting to talk to her. This could all go horribly wrong, but he just couldn't resist the urge to communicate with her, to show her that he wasn't who she thought he was.

 _Screw it,_ Chat thought. He was going to talk to Marinette whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Marinette heard something. Were those footsteps? They weren't coming from down below, so it couldn't be either of her parents. Besides, they were probably asleep by now. No...those footsteps were coming from above.

She was being afraid again for no reason. It was probably just a stray cat that had somehow climbed onto the roof.

 _Thump_.

This time it was louder. The noise couldn't possibly be coming from an animal. Marinette jumped up from her chair in alarm, looking in the direction of the chimney. She saw a human-like figure crouched down beside it, and Marinette felt paralyzed with fear.

The figure got closer to the fairy lights, and Marinette recognized that face instantly. It was the face that haunted her nightmares and her subconscious, belonging to the person she despised more than anyone in the world.

Chat Noir jumped down onto her balcony, then stood up straight and was met by a wide-eyed, terrified Marinette.

"Lovely night, isn't it _purr_ -incess?" he said with a wide smile.

Marinette didn't know how it was possible, but she somehow managed to regain control over her voice. Just like she had trained herself, she replaced her fear with hatred, making sure that he knew how she felt when she spoke.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, almost gritting her teeth in dislike.

Chat was nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he responded. "I wanted to make sure you were okay after...you know, yesterday. To make sure you're not traumatized or anything."

"You're traumatizing me just by showing up at my house, completely unsolicited," she remarked coldly.

"Oh, uh...sorry. I was in the area, and I couldn't help but visit. I was concerned about you," he admitted.

Marinette wondered if she was hallucinating. Chat Noir was... _concerned?_ About _her_? And here he was, standing on her balcony looking like a shy teenage boy who was about to ask a girl on a date. This was absurd. This couldn't possibly be the same catboy who tormented her on a weekly basis, threatening to kill her and playing cruel mind games with her at every given chance.

But that was when she was Ladybug. Right now she was Marinette.

Something occurred to her. Chat Noir had nothing against Marinette. And as much as it repulsed her to her very core, he seemed to like her. Maybe she could use this to her advantage. He loved messing with her head, now it was time to mess with his.

Marinette repressed a coy smile as she concocted a plan to bring down Chat Noir once and for all. She would play along. She could stomach her disgust for a while and pretend to be some innocent civilian. Heck, she could pretend to be his _friend_ if it meant finding out enough information about Chat to use against him in the future.

Marinette could figure out why he wanted her miraculous. Maybe she could even find out who he really was, then somehow use that to bring him down and take away his miraculous. This was all just too perfect.

"Hey, what's this?" Chat said, picking up her chemistry homework. He took the paper in his hand and sat down in her chair. Marinette hated the fact that he was already cozying up. But she couldn't let this opportunity slip away. Perhaps making Chat Noir her acquaintance could lead up to saving Paris from him once and for all.

"Chemistry. But maybe that's too advanced for you," Marinette said with a raised eyebrow, reaching out to take her homework away from him. She decided to make it all believable by retaining her cool and callous attitude towards him for the time being.

Chat looked offended. He moved the paper away from her as she tried to grab it, then kept scrutinizing her work on the first problem.

"This is completely wrong. You forgot to convert the moles into molecules. Two moles of sodium is not 58 grams, it's 46 grams. And don't forget your significant figures. You have to round to the nearest hundredths place," Chat said, handing it back to her. The cocky little shit looked very smug as he pointed out all of her mistakes.

Marinette narrowed her eyes as she took her homework back from him.

"Don't look so surprised. I'll have you know, my grades in chemistry are perfect," Chat scoffed, standing back up.

Marinette was suddenly reminded of how Tikki had advised her to humanize him so that she would feel less afraid. He was doing that all by himself. The thought of Chat Noir being a student—most likely at the same grade level since he was in chemistry as well—was astounding. She felt bad for all of his classmates; they didn't know that they were going to school with a super villain. Did he have friends? A _girlfriend_ , maybe? Marinette was still trying to process the idea of a civilian version of Chat.

Nonetheless, talking to him in a civilized, non-threatening manner for once was an immense help when it came to humanizing him.

Chat was towering over her again. Why was he so _tall_? It made him so much more intimidating than he needed to be. She saw his blond hair rustling in the wind, the way his suit accented his broad shoulders and his skinny yet somehow muscular frame. He had the body of a model.

...Wait.

Why was she thinking this way? Marinette couldn't believe that she had just been _checking him out_. Her usual encounters with him were far too fast-paced for Ladybug to look at him too carefully.

Marinette was angry at herself for thinking about him this way. Was he attractive? Maybe. Was he the worst person she had ever met in her life? Absolutely. She wouldn't allow her teenage hormones get in the way of this undeniable fact.

"Nice flowers," he commented, looking at Marinette's collection of plants lined against the edge of her balcony.

"Thanks," she responded shortly. Marinette decided that it was time to tone down the aggressiveness towards him, since she didn't want him to not come back again. She needed to make him an acquaintance ('friend' felt too extreme for her,) so that she could find out and use information against him.

Chat sighed, then turned around to face Marinette again. "Look, I'm sorry for bothering you. It's late and I shouldn't have come here. I'll get going now."

"Wait," Marinette said, just as he was about to jump off of her roof. "Don't go." She couldn't let her plan fall apart like this by just letting him leave. Not until she knew that he was going to come back.

She said the first thing that came to her mind. "Can I...touch your ears?"

Chat raised an eyebrow at her strange question, then laughed. "Which ones?"

"The cat ears," she answered. He bent down a little for her to reach, and she felt the triangular, cat-like ears with her hand. They were surprisingly soft, and they twitched slightly at her touch. They felt so realistic, it was like they belonged on a real cat.

"Can you feel that?" she asked.

"I can." His luminous green eyes were watching her she touched his ears, and then she let go. That might have been the first time she touched him in a non-violent context.

As Ladybug, she had been tempted to touch his ears many times before. But it would've been rather awkward if she asked to touch his ears when they were too busy shoving each other into brick walls and beating each other up.

He stood up straight again, a small smile on his face as he looked at with her a careful and somewhat hesitant expression. "You know, you never did tell me your name."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Marinette apologized. "Marinette. And what's your name? I don't mean 'Chat Noir,' by the way, I'm referring to your _actual_ name."

Too soon? Marinette figured that she was being too straightforward at this point. But if she wanted to take him down, she needed to get information fast so that she could stop torturing herself as soon as possible. Granted, she didn't expect to find everything out today, but she preferred quick progress.

"I'm sorry, I don't tell _civilians_ my name," Chat Noir said, apparently mocking Marinette based on how she had refused to tell him her name last night.

"Come on, you can tell me," Marinette said, giving him the most innocent expression she could muster.

"You're _paw_ -ful at this, you know," Chat smirked. "You hate me. You just want to know my real name so that you can tell the police and have me locked up."

"And I bet you thought _I_ was the one with trust issues," Marinette said with a slight eye roll. But he was totally right. Okay, so she needed to slow down. He wasn't a complete idiot after all.

Chat stifled a yawn. "Well, I should be heading home now. Until next time, Princess?" He looked at her expectantly.

"Of course. Next time," she said, but the thought of putting up with him again made her feel uneasy. On the plus side, Marinette wasn't as afraid of him anymore. The hatred, however, was as passionate as ever, and she was amazed at how well she was hiding it. "And you know my name now. You don't have to call me 'Princess' anymore," Marinette frowned.

Her enemy was the last person she wanted to hear calling her 'Princess.'

"Nah, I like 'Princess' better," he answered with a grin. And with that, he took out his baton, gave one last wave in her direction, and bounded off into the night.


	5. If Love Were Kind

Marinette found it hard to focus at school. She couldn't help but space out every now and then, and she was angry that her mind always ended up thinking about Chat Noir. Not only did she hate him, she hated the fact that she kept _thinking_ about him too.

Last night seemed like some sort of weird dream when she thought about it, considering how she had miraculously resisted the urge to push Chat right off of her balcony to his death and had somehow spoken to him in a relatively civil manner.

She remembered how _different_ he seemed when he wasn't fighting her and trying to steal her miraculous. Chat had admitted that he was concerned for her, and he had made a genuine effort to be friendly to her despite knowing that she despised him. It was all too weird—Chat having _emotions_ , for one, and being surprisingly good at chemistry.

She was just remembering how Chat had skillfully pointed out the mistakes on her chemistry homework last night when Madame Moreau passed back her test. Marinette's heart sunk when she saw that she had received a 70%, just barely passing.

Marinette averted her eyes towards Adrien's paper, which was right next to hers since they were lab partners. Just as she had expected, he had passed with stellar marks, and his paper had a neatly written 100% on it. She wasn't going to deny that she was somewhat jealous.

"How did you do, Mari?" Alya asked, who was sitting across from her. Their lab table was split into two pairs, so Nino and Alya were lab partners across from Adrien and Marinette. At the beginning of the year, Nino and Alya had paired up with each other instead of their best friends in an attempt to set Adrien and Marinette up. (Much to her horror, of course—Marinette didn't think she would be able to function normally enough around Adrien to get actual lab work done.)

"Not too well," Marinette admitted with a sigh. She tried covering up her score so Adrien wouldn't see—she didn't want him to think she was stupid, after all. But from her peripheral vision, Marinette could tell that he had probably already seen it.

"That's alright. Adrien can help tutor you next time, right bro?" Nino said suggestively, looking at Adrien with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a grin on his face. "I'm only doing okay because this nerd knows his stuff."

Marinette couldn't help but notice the slight blush that arose on Adrien's cheeks at this suggestion. Or was it her imagination? Maybe he was just embarrassed at the praise on his intelligence, but the idea of him blushing at the mention of her sent her heart racing.

"Yeah, of course! Any time, Marinette," Adrien said, smiling towards her, but there was a hint of nervousness in his smile.

Despite having spent the morning in somewhat of a daze, Marinette noticed that Adrien had been paying more attention to her. Although they mutually accepted each other as friends, there was no denying that they weren't as close to each other as they were to both Nino and Alya. She was convinced that it was her awkwardness that was getting in the way.

Adrien had caught Marinette by surprise all throughout the day with his persistent willingness to talk to her, and Marinette wondered why he just seemed more focused on her than usual. She could have sworn that she had caught him staring at her twice just this morning alone.

It was flattering. Marinette's crush on him hadn't gone away—she was just better at controlling it. Was it possible that he was beginning to reciprocate her feelings? Except, she had done nothing to suddenly pique his interest in her. Perhaps Marinette was finally losing her mind after all.

* * *

Marinette had been starving the entire morning after she had rushed to school without eating breakfast. Needless to say, she had been extremely frustrated when she realized that an Akuma attack was happening just a block away right when it was lunchtime. The four of them had begun eating lunch outside when they heard the unmistakable noise of crashing and screaming coming from nearby.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said instinctively, excusing herself as she got up from the picnic table.

Adrien got up as well. "We should all go inside, it's not safe in here with an Akuma attack happening nearby."

The four got up and went inside of the school. Once they reached the crowded halls filled with students, all of them seemingly concerned about this week's latest super villain wreaking havoc on the city, Marinette took this as an opportunity to slip away unnoticed.

She found the nearest girl's bathroom and checked to make sure that it was empty. She opened her bag and Tikki flew out. Marinette transformed quickly, managing to escape through the window in order to avoid being seen as Ladybug in the hallways of her own school.

Once she was finally outside, she sprinted across the school grounds with speed that she could have never been able to muster as Marinette.

Ladybug found a super-villain standing on top of a building, cackling and shooting mini lightning bolts in all directions from what appeared to be a broken spark plug in his hand. His hair stood up on ends like he had been electrocuted, and he wore a black jumpsuit with a lightning bolt across the front.

Ladybug had just been analyzing the situation when something—no, _someone_ —showed up out of nowhere, pounced at her, and shoved her onto the ground underneath them.

Chat Noir's face was a mere inches away from hers, and he gave a her a cheshire grin from on top of her. With a disgusted groan, Ladybug pushed her off of him with all her might. He might look skinny but god, was he heavy.

"Did I _shock_ you, bugaboo?" Chat taunted, leaning on his baton and biting back an amused grin as they both stood up.

"Your puns absolutely suck," Ladybug commented. Why did he even bother with his stupid jokes? "And if you call me 'bugaboo' ever again I'll snap your neck."

Chat laughed. "For someone so tiny, that is one hell of a threat. If I didn't know any better I'd say you sounded... _cute_."

Something inside of Ladybug snapped. He wasn't allowed to call her "cute." It felt extremely condescending and it just enraged her even further. She didn't know how to respond, so she just glared at with as much intensity as she could muster.

"Aw, did I hurt your _feelings_? No need to look so pissed off," Chat smirked, walking closer towards her as she backed away from him. "If you just...I don't know, handed over your miraculous then maybe I'd be nicer to you. We could even be friends," his voice was low and suggestive, but Ladybug could tell that he was taunting her again.

"In your dreams," Ladybug retorted.

And, as fate would have it, she was backed up against a wall. Again.

She couldn't get any farther away from him, and Chat was now closing in on her. They were in an alleyway, and Chat rested both of his arms on the wall behind her. She was pinned against the wall with Chat just a few inches in front of her. Any sudden movement from her and she knew that he would resort to violence.

But then Ladybug remembered last night and everything that Tikki had told her. A sudden plan emerged in her mind, and she smiled mischievously. Tikki's words echoed in her mind…. _Behind that mask, he's just another teenager like you._

If there was one thing Ladybug knew about teenage boys, it was that they were all _thirsty as fuck._ (Alya's words, not her's.)

She was going to break him.

Ladybug hoped that all the movies she had seen in her lifetime would pay off right now. She was a mere inches away from Chat Noir, and without the context of their situation, it might have even been seen as intimate. She could feel his breaths on her neck.

Ladybug slowly moved her hand up towards him, resting her right hand onto his chest. He blinked in confusion at the movement she had just made. Chat's threatening facade suddenly vanished as he looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. Ladybug looked into his eyes, noticing that there was something hopeful in them. _Disgusting._

She ignored her personal disgust as she inched closer to him, if that was even possible. Slowly, she moved her face closer to his, looking intently at his lips. She felt Chat's breath quicken in pace as Ladybug got closer, the space between their lips closing in.

Ladybug stopped as her lips merely brushed against his, ignoring the fact that he had tried to kiss her back before she pulled away.

Chat stared at her in shock, blinked confusedly a few times, and his face got slightly red. Ladybug tried to suppress laughter as she realized that she had made Chat Noir _blush._

"What's wrong, Minou? Bug got your tongue?" she taunted, watching as his expression reverted back to anger at the realization of what she had just done.

"Haha, you're hilarious," he responded bitterly, pulling out his baton from his side. "How very classy of you."

" _Someone's_ thirsty for affection," Ladybug smirked. Her plan had worked. Chat Noir was still recovering, and she took his momentary confusion and shock as an opportunity to shove him onto the ground.

She grabbed his baton, which he dropped during his fall, and whacked his stomach with it. He groaned in pain as she ran off with his weapon, making sure to chuck it into the distance in order to disarm him for a while.

Ladybug headed towards the Akuma villain, and Chat Noir was out of the way. Then again, Chat had always been the troublesome part. Dealing with Akumas was easy, and she had become extremely skilled when it came to fighting them. She had no one to rely on but herself, and with all the pressure that was put onto her to save the day, Ladybug (and as a by-product, Marinette,) became braver and more confident in herself as a result of her almost weekly encounters with Akuma villains. She couldn't allow herself to be weak.

Marinette became someone she could have never even dreamed she could be. It was tiring, of course, not having anyone else to depend on to save the day, but she managed. The downside was that she was usually exhausted and stressed out.

Ladybug wondered what life would be like in an alternate reality where Chat Noir was her partner instead of her enemy. After all, that's what Tikki said it should have been like. But she had no time to dwell on "what-ifs"—this was life and she had to deal with it.

* * *

Adrien winced in pain as he entered the school building after the Akuma attack. He had a dull pain in his stomach where Ladybug had hit him with his own weapon, but he had no time to deal with it since he had already missed lunch. Any longer and his friends and teachers would start to get suspicious.

Plagg had kept crawling down his shirt as Adrien tried to grab him and put him into his bag, making things harder than they needed to be, as usual. He had managed to finally get a hold of the kwami and stuffed him unceremoniously into the side pocket, ignoring Plagg's demands for camembert, but Adrien was sure he'd eat his uneaten lunch as consolation anyway.

Adrien made his way towards his math class, biting his bottom lip as he dealt with the pain in his stomach. He saw Marinette walking towards him from the other end of the hallway, the door to their classroom right in the middle. They were both surprised to see each other so late after lunch, since class had probably started a few minutes ago already.

"Adrien! A-are you okay? You look like you're in pain," Marinette said with concern as they met in the middle of the hallway. Adrien wondered why she hadn't asked him where he was instead.

"I'm fine. I wasn't feeling well and I stepped outside for some fresh air, but I ended up tripping on the stairs," Adrien lied. "Why aren't you in class yet?" he asked, deciding to steer the conversation away from himself.

Marinette blinked, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Oh, uh, I was just...returning a book to the library. So I just ditched lunch and went over there, lost track of time."

Adrien couldn't help but stare at her as she talked. This time he watched her lips as they moved, wondering what they would feel like on his own...would Marinette pull away from him the way that Ladybug had?

Adrien blushed again at the memory, realizing that he had made a fool out of himself. Marinette's lips had unfortunately reminded him of it. Ladybug 1, Chat Noir 0. Although if he had been actively keeping track, perhaps his score would have been in the negatives.

Then he suddenly felt guilty for looking at Marinette like that. She didn't like him that way and now that he thought about it, neither did he. (Maybe Ladybug was right when she accused him of being 'thirsty.') For the past few days he had been determined to become Marinette's friend in the midst of trying to figure out why she hated Chat Noir with such a burning passion.

Adrien finally opened the door to the classroom, Marinette following close behind as they both entered. The class was working on some worksheets, so there was a low murmur already present as they walked in as people worked together.

Adrien noticed that everyone was staring at them as they walked in. He then saw Alix whisper something into Kim's ear, and the two smirked as their eyes followed Adrien and Marinette as they walked to their seats. Chloe looked angry and Nathanael blinked with a hurt expression on his face, then focused his gaze back onto his sketchbook.

He sat down in his seat, and so did Marinette right next to him. The desks of this classroom were arranged into groups of two, so one table had two chairs, each right beside the other. The seating chart changed every few months, and Adrien had been sitting right beside Marinette for the past few weeks.

Alya tapped her on the shoulder, and Marinette looked behind her to see that Alya was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Where have you two been?"

"I was in the library and Adrien was outside. Why do you ask?" Marinette responded.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Alya was grinning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien demanded.

Nino decided that this was the perfect moment to jump into the conversation. "Don't act all confused. We all know what it means when two people arrive to class late. _Together,_ " he added for emphasis. He and Alya exchanged a knowing glance as Adrien and Marinette stared at them in disbelief.

"What— _no!_ How can you just imply something like that?" Adrien said, turning even more red once he realized why everyone had been staring at them

"It's okay, just admit it. We won't judge you if you tell us you were both making out. In fact we were waiting for this to finally happen!" Alya insisted, though she was fighting back laughter at their expressions.

"You're both wrong," Marinette said, who looked even redder than Adrien. She turned around to face the front of the classroom, pulling out her worksheet and ignoring Alya as she kept poking her in the back to question her further.

Adrien realized that Nino and Alya weren't completely wrong. He _had_ almost kissed a girl...but it was Ladybug, not Marinette. He wondered if it was possible to blush even harder as he remembered the way she had messed with him like that. Had she seen the hunger in his eyes? Did she know about his feelings for her?

Adrien thought he might die of shame if Ladybug ever found out how much he wanted to kiss her, to hold her in his arms. Adrien admired her from the first day they met—her ferocious defiance of Chat Noir, her unmistakable kindness and compassion towards literally everyone in the city except for him. And finally, her _bravery._ It was ironic how much he adored those qualities in her despite being a villain.

He sighed, staring sadly at his math worksheet as he realized that he would never have a chance with Ladybug. Forget _loving_ him, she would never stop _hating_ him. Not that she didn't have a justifiable reason. The problem was that Adrien didn't have a choice but to antagonize her. If he was going to get his mother back, he needed to take Ladybug's miraculous and do everything his father said. He was trapped in the life he was living.

Adrien felt something thrown at the back of his head. A crumpled ball of paper lay beside his chair, and he bent down to pick it up. Kim and Max were laughing at him as he did, making kissy faces at him as Adrien narrowed his eyes towards them.

He flattened the paper as he saw what was on it. There were two stick figures on it—one of them with pigtails and the other without. The stick figures appeared to be kissing each other, and the boys had even taken the liberty of labelling them as Adrien and Marinette.

Adrien crumpled the paper back up, taking no notice of their childish behavior. He figured that if everyone thought he had kissed a girl just now, it might as well be Marinette.


	6. Love Hits You Like a Brick

Marinette liked being alone. Especially late into the evenings when she didn't have to deal with the burdens of being Ladybug or being subjected to the daily torments of school. Her grades were suffering as a result of her perpetual tiredness—Hawkmoth and Chat Noir were relentless lately with all the Akuma attacks. She was a lone superheroine whose both lives demanded so much from her.

She had been sitting on her balcony as usual, working on a brand new design that she had so far been very pleased with. Marinette's sketchbook was in her lap as the end of her pencil brushed against her lips. She stared at the page, thinking carefully of different ways she could improve the sketch.

But when a voice asked "Can you make me a pretty dress too?" from behind her, Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, cringing internally as she recognized the voice. It took a great amount of willpower for her not to snap the wooden pencil that was in her hand in response.

Chat walked out in front of her, a cocky smile on his face as he leaned comfortably against the railing of her balcony. _Stupid cat, strutting around like he has a right to be on_ my _balcony..._

What if she just...pushed him off? That would wipe the smug grin right off of his face. He would be fine, technically, the suit wouldn't let him get hurt too badly...

Marinette quickly pushed her distracting intrusive thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Back so soon?" Marinette asked casually, hiding her immense dislike and irritation.

"Guess I just couldn't stay away from you, Princess," Chat shrugged, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Marinette was annoyed that he insisted on calling her that when she had repeatedly told him not to. It didn't feel right coming from Chat Noir..."Princess" was something boyfriends called their girlfriends affectionately. She shuddered to think of Chat Noir in that way. Needless to say, he did _not_ have a right to giver her a stupid pet-name.

"At this point you're just calling me that to irritate me, aren't you," Marinette said, rolling her eyes in agitation.

"Or maybe you're just easily irritated. Relax, Marinette," Chat said dismissively.

After Chat said her actual name for the first time, she didn't know which sounded worse coming from his mouth.

"Any particular reason you're here?" Marinette asked.

"Nope," Chat said simply. "Just thought I'd check in on you. Although…" he said, walking towards her and leaning in. "This is a bakery, right? D'you think you could get me some cookies?"

Chat was looking at her with expectant eyes, practically pouting just like Manon did when she would babysit her. This was just ridiculous.

"Definitely not," Marinette huffed. "You have done nothing to earn any such thing."

"Excuse you, I saved your life a few days ago!" Chat pointed out, eyeing her expectantly.

"Well, yeah...but you're still _you,_ " Marinette said lamely. If he had been anyone else she would have felt guilty for being mean, but right now she didn't.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Chat asked, his casual, cocky attitude faltering quickly at her remark.

"You know what I mean," Marinette said coolly. "A bad person."

Chat was looking at her with a careful expression. Did he look... _upset_ _?_ Had Marinette just hurt Chat's feelings? She hadn't even stopped to _think_ that Chat could actually be effected by anything she said to him. As Ladybug she was used to fighting him, both physically and verbally.

There was a brief silence. Chat continued to look at her carefully.

"I have a serious question for you, Marinette," Chat began, a serious expression on his face. "Why do you hate me so much? I've never done anything to you personally, so what's your problem?" He had a somewhat frustrated edge to his voice.

 _Because you have tried to hurt me more times than I can count and you make my life more difficult than it needs to be._

"Because you spread fear throughout the city. You rob banks and threaten anyone who gets in your way, and you work with Hawkmoth, who preys on innocent people to get them to do his dirty work. Is that not a good enough reason to be disgusted by someone?" Marinette answered, daring him to disagree.

Chat just stared at her, a distant look in his eyes. He turned his head away from her, not saying anything. He seemed ashamed. "You're right," was all he said.

Marinette was shocked that he would admit such a thing. If there was one rule of being villain, it was refusing to acknowledge the atrocities of your own crimes.

"I don't want to do any of this," he continued bitterly. "I hate it. I hate all of it. I don't like being a villain, I don't like fighting Ladybug all the time. I just want to live a normal life, I want freedom and the ability to make my own decisions. But I don't."

"What do you mean you don't have a choice?" Marinette asked. She was genuinely intrigued. Her heart was racing, knowing that she was about to find something out about Chat Noir that Ladybug would have never been able to discover.

"My Dad is Hawkmoth," Chat admitted. "He's been training me for this for years. He controls every aspect of my life and there's literally nothing I can do about it. I've tried but I've always failed."

Marinette stared at him, a dumbfounded expression on her face. Her entire perspective was changing so fast. Suddenly, a new plan formed in her mind. Maybe instead of getting information on Chat to defeat him, she could try to change him instead. Marinette wondered if perhaps she could lead him towards a path of good, a path of rebellion against his father. Although, Chat himself still wasn't innocent—she still blamed him for everything. He wasn't any less guilty than his father, no matter what he claimed.

"But why is Hawkmoth, your father, making you do all this?" Marinette pressed on.

Chat sighed. "I...I can't tell you that. Sorry."

Marinette wondered if she could convince him to change his ways. Maybe all he needed was some motivation to go against his father.

"You know, your Dad doesn't have to control you if you don't want him to. If he's forcing you to do bad things you don't want to do, then you have every right to fight for your freedom," Marinette said, trying her best to sound reassuring.

"But being Chat Noir _is_ my freedom," he said, not elaborating as to why. Marinette figured that he was done sharing information. She also wondered if there was even a _point_ in trying to change such a corrupted, horrible person. Maybe he was brainwashed by his father, but that didn't make him any less of a villain.

There was silence between them as Marinette uncomfortably realized that there was more to Chat Noir than she dared to think. Was he truly the inhuman, cruel teenage boy that she made him out to be? The fact that she was questioning this was enough to make her feel severely conflicted.

Chat stood up, avoiding her gaze. "I'm sorry for wasting your time. I just wanted to know if you were doing okay."

"You didn't waste my time," Marinette said before she could think.

He looked up from the floor, his eyes piercing her with their luminous green glow. Chat seemed hopeful at this remark, even surprised. There was a pause, and then—

"Has anyone ever told you your eyes are beautiful?" Chat suddenly blurted out.

Marinette was taken aback by his sudden compliment. "What?"

"Oh, uh...nothing," Chat said, blushing. "I need to get home. Nice seeing you Princess!"

And with that, Chat pulled out his staff and flung himself to the nearest rooftop, and Marinette watched as he disappeared into the night, more confused than she had ever been.

She stared into the darkness, a weird mix of feelings overwhelming her. Confusion turned into frustration, as she realized that yet again, Chat was messing with her mind, even if this time it was unintentional.

...And why the hell was Chat Noir complimenting her eyes?

* * *

When Marinette made her way downstairs into the bakery the next morning before school, the last person she expected to see was Adrien Agreste, standing in front of the pastries display with his brow furrowed as he looked at the different sweets.

"A-Adrien!" Marinette squeaked, standing beside the display counter and staring at him in shock.

Adrien looked up, smiling brightly at her as she approached him. "Good morning, Marinette!"

"Great morning! I-I mean, _good_. Good morning!" Marinette stammered. She wasn't usually this nervous around Adrien, especially not for the past few months. But seeing him this early in her bakery had caught her _completely_ off-guard.

"Adrien, is that you?" Called out a voice coming from the kitchen. Tom Dupain approached the counter, then beamed when he saw the blond-haired boy.

"Hello Mr. Dupain!" Adrien said politely, smiling good-naturedly at Marinette's father. "It's been a long time."

Marinette recalled the first time Adrien met her parents over a year ago. It was right before the gamer incident, when her classmate Max had been Akumatized. Adrien had visited her house to practice playing video games to prepare for the tournament.

"It certainly has been! What brings you to our humble home and bakery this fine morning?" Tom asked.

"I've heard you have the best bread in Paris."

"We certainly do!" Interrupted another voice from the other side of the bakery. Sabine Cheng waved happily towards Adrien while managing the line of customers. "Nice to see you again Adrien!"

"You too, Mrs. Cheng," Adrien responded, waving back at her.

Marinette was feeling increasingly mortified at all the attention her parents were giving Adrien. They both knew about her crush on him. It was hard to hide it from her parents with all the photos she had of him, and she was sure that Alya had mentioned it to her mom at one point.

She was just hoping desperately that they wouldn't say anything suggestive to him to embarrass her even further.

"Uh, Adrien? We should really start leaving for school. I don't want to be late," Marinette said quickly.

"Since when do you care about being late?" Adrien chuckled. "And besides, we still have over half an hour before class starts."

Marinette bit her lip, hoping that her parents would just stop _hovering_. Surely they had more important things to do, like _running their business_ instead of being blatantly obvious around their daughter's crush.

"I'll leave you kids to it," Tom said, patting Marinette on the shoulder before heading back into the kitchen, much to her relief.

"You parents are really nice," Adrien commented, going back to picking what he wanted to buy.

"Yeah, I guess." Marinette said.

"Hm, I think I'll take two chocolate-filled croissants." Adrien said decisively, tapping the glass to point at his selection. "How much?"

Marinette blinked, surprised that he was actually asking such a thing. "How much? You can have some for free."

Adrien shook his head. "No, I couldn't. Please let me pay."

"Adrien, you're my friend. Friends get free food, that's the rule. Alya and Nino don't have a problem with it and neither should you," Marinette said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I don't know, are you sure?" Adrien asked, biting his lip.

" _Yes_."

"Okay, but only because it's the rule," Adrien said. "Because we're _friends,_ after all."

Marinette saw that he was smiling at her as he said this, but the way that he looked at her seemed _different_ somehow. Different than usual. She suddenly remembered the past few days and how Adrien had been making more of an effort to talk to her and get to know her.

They had been friends for a year, at least, but only because their two best friends were dating each other. It had pained her that for so long, the only relationship she had with Adrien was one of friendly politeness. They were 'friends' by title, but seemed more like acquaintances.

But lately, that had changed. _Something_ must have triggered Adrien's interest in Marinette, because Adrien would typically never make such an effort to visit the Dupain-Cheng's bakery just to see her.

Marinette felt self-centered for thinking this. Maybe Adrien just wanted some croissants. That didn't mean he was interested in her. But didn't he have all the sweets in the world available to him in the Agreste mansion, personal chefs and everything? And since when did Adrien walk to school by himself; didn't he always have a bodyguard and his own driver with him? All things considered, this visit just didn't make any sense.

Marinette's thoughts were going into overdrive as she carefully put the two croissants into the paper bag, handing them to him with trembling hands.

"Thank you very much," Adrien said, taking the bag from her. "We might as well start walking to school, shouldn't we?"

"Y-yeah, I guess we should." Marinette said, hoping her voice wasn't shaking at the thought of walking with _Adrien_ to school. She could just imagine the look on Alya and Nino's face when they saw.

Marinette slipped on her sweater before heading outside, since the mornings kept getting chillier by the day. A cool October breeze whipped at her face as she left the bakery with Adrien beside her. It was only a five-minute walk to school, since Marinette lived practically next door. She was disappointed by how short this walk with Adrien would be.

"These are _delicious,_ " Adrien said, after biting into the croissant. His voice was slightly muffled by the food in his mouth. "Though I really shouldn't be eating it. My father and dietician would _kill_ me if they found out."

"Wait, so you mean nobody knows that you were just here?" Marinette asked incredulously.

"Nope," Adrien replied, seeming completely unconcerned. "I just texted Nathalie after I left. Technically, I'm not allowed to leave anywhere alone. But this morning I just thought, 'screw it,' you know?" There was a mischievous glint in Adrien's eyes that Marinette had never seen before.

Although eating a croissant and walking to school weren't major acts of rebellion, Marinette didn't think Adrien was the type to step out of line in the slightest. He strived for perfection when it came to everything he did—school, fencing, piano, Chinese, and modelling. It was actually kind of annoying how _perfect_ he seemed. There was something unreal about him.

"So, uh—how have you been lately?" Adrien asked casually, walking beside her as they crossed the road.

 _Terrible. My arch-nemesis won't stop calling me 'Princess' and insists on visiting me at night. I just found out that he's being manipulated by his father, but I still hate him. On top of that, I think he has a crush on me, but that's only because he doesn't know who I really am. I'm extremely conflicted because I keep finding more about him, even though it's ruining my image of him that depicts him as evil and inhuman. Did I mention I'm always tired and my grades are falling faster than my motivation to live?_

"Perfectly fine, never been better. How about you?" Marinette responded, a completely fake smile on her face.

"Same old," Adrien shrugged, picking up another piece of croissant.

They wore masks even when they didn't.

* * *

The school day passed by in a blur, and Adrien couldn't help but talk to Marinette at every opportunity. He blushed every time she caught him staring at her, quickly averting his eyes and hoping that she didn't think his behavior was out of the ordinary. Adrien noticed Nino giving him questioning glances all throughout the day, and that Nino and Alya seemed to be whispering about him for some reason.

Even Adrien couldn't explain why he suddenly felt so desperate for her attention. He figured that perhaps he was subconsciously trying to compensate for the dislike she showed towards him as Chat.

It was amazing how _nice_ she was to him as Adrien. On the way to lunch, she had listened to him talk about Naruto as if she actually cared. Afterwards, she told him how surprised she was to hear about his interests. Adrien felt bad that she knew so little about him, and that he knew so little about her.

So for lunch, they talked about their favorite movies, tv shows, and musical artists while Nino and Alya just smiled and let them talk without interrupting.

"—Studio Ghibli is the _best,_ " Adrien said, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork. "Their work is so creative and beautiful. There's no way you could watch _My Neighbor Totoro_ and not be mesmerized."

"I know, right!" Marinette said, her eyes lighting up in agreement. "I was crying the whole time watching _Grave of the Fireflies_."

"That one's a tearjerker for sure," Adrien agreed. "I couldn't look at the world the same way again."

Just then, Marinette's phone started to ring, and Adrien recognized it as the musical intro to one of Jagged Stone's most popular songs.

"No way, you're a Stone fan too?" Adrien exclaimed.

"Of course! Who isn't?" she responded, raising an eyebrow and smiling towards him before picking up the phone.

How could he have so much in common with someone he had known for so long, and not know it until now?

* * *

By the end of the school day, Adrien was at his locker when Nino showed up, giving his best friend a knowing smile.

"Dude, you and Marinette have really been connecting lately," Nino commented, leaning against the locker next to his.

"I guess," Adrien replied, stuffing a book into his bag. He hoped the book had just hit Plagg—the infuriating Kwami had overflowed his toilet last night by dumping his CDs into it. To make it worse, he had tried to flush them down as well.

"I'm serious, though. If you and Marinette are going to become a thing then I fully support you," Nino said.

"Me and Marinette—?" Adrien exclaimed, finally figuring out what Nino was implying. "No, it's not like that at all," he explained quickly, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

Nino just laughed, patting Adrien on the shoulder like his friend had so much to learn. "You're just in the denial phase. Just wait, though—there will be a moment when all of your feelings will hit you like bricks. I'll warn you though, she's not the most attractive chick around, you could do _so_ much better, I mean you're a _model_ after all…"

Adrien felt personally insulted by Nino's comment. "How could you say something like that? Marinette is beautiful, kind, and funny. She sticks up for her values and she's nowhere _near_ ugly. In fact she's one of the prettiest girls I've ever met!" Adrien said angrily.

Nino was laughing, practically in hysterics. He wiped a tear from his eye before he spoke. " _Damn,_ I was only saying that to see how you would react! You've got it _bad_ for her, even if you're too stupid to realize!"

Adrien was blushing now, surprised at his own outburst. Was Nino right? Had he just been too blinded by his obsession with Ladybug to notice his undeniable feelings for Marinette?

Adrien realized that Ladybug would _never_ like him back. It was impossible. But Marinette...she was different. She was _normal_ , and he loved that about her. Ladybug was associated with his chaotic secret life of crime whereas Marinette was part of the normal side of his life.

And yes, she was pretty. But above all, she was _Marinette._ Everything he liked about Ladybug, Marinette had those qualities as well. The only difference was that he had never tried to strangle Marinette, and Marinette didn't want him to die a painful death like Ladybug probably did.

"I...I don't even know if she likes me back," Adrien muttered.

Nino sighed, face-palming at Adrien's response. "You're so freaking _stupid_ for someone who's supposed to be smart. Marinette has had a crush on you since the beginning of _last year!_ But you've been too oblivious to notice! Why else do you think she's always so flustered around you, always so shy when she doesn't act that way around _anyone_ else?" Nino demanded.

Adrien blinked in shock. "I just...I thought she didn't like me."

"You're so dense it pains me," Nino said dramatically. "Come on, let's go. You can contemplate your love life on the drive home."

Adrien felt oddly euphoric at the revelation that Marinette liked him. _Marinette_ liked him. She liked _him_! He felt like he could practically dance his way over to the car. He had been hesitant to think about his feelings for her since Adrien had convinced himself that she didn't like him at all. (Which technically wasn't a wrong assumption, given how much she hated Chat Noir.)

His happiness was short-lived as he thought of all the things that stood in the way of him making a move on Marinette.

If, theoretically, he were to ever be in a relationship with Marinette, wouldn't he constantly be lying to her? She _despised_ Chat Noir. Would she even agree to be his girlfriend if she knew? Marinette's attraction to him would turn instantly to disgust.

And what about his feelings for Ladybug? As of right now, he decided that he liked Marinette. But did that mean he could so easily bury what he felt for Ladybug, like it never even existed? His crush on Ladybug might be irrational and absurd, but it was _real_. He couldn't just decide on something and turn his feelings off.

Adrien stepped into the car. From the mirror, Adrien could see that his driver, "the Gorilla," as he liked to call him, was giving him a disapproving glare. Probably because he left that morning without permission.

As he stared out the window, he decided that nothing else mattered. Bottom line, Marinette liked Adrien. And Adrien liked Marinette. Everything else was just an extraneous variable, nothing that he needed to concern himself with in that moment.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the blue-eyed girl who, by some miracle, liked him back.


	7. We Wear the Mask

"I'm disappointed in you, son," Gabriel sighed. His back was turned away from Adrien as he stared out the window, watching as the raindrops clung to the glass and raced down.

Adrien couldn't see his face, but he knew that the steely look of disappointment was most definitely there.

"I'm trying the best that I can," Adrien said, but wasn't completely sure if this was the truth. He knew that he was getting distracted lately, mostly because of his confusing feelings for both Marinette and Ladybug.

Gabriel turned around, a cold expression on his face as he looked at Adrien with narrowed eyes. "If you had truly been trying your best, we would have taken Ladybug's miraculous months ago. This has gone on too long."

"What can I say? She's getting better at fighting us," Adrien responded dismissively.

Adrien saw a flash of anger appear on his father's face at his excuses.

"No, that's not it. You're merely getting worse. You are getting distracted by Ladybug because you're a hormonal teenage boy."

Adrien's heart raced at his father's accusation, a mix of shame and anger flaring up at the pit of his stomach. He glared back at his father.

Gabriel chuckled. "Hate me all you want for saying it, but you know that I'm right."

"I'm _not_ getting distracted by Ladybug. That's the stupidest accusation I've ever heard," Adrien scowled. His heart was thumping rapidly as he realized that his father was catching on to his deeply suppressed feelings.

"Then prove it," Gabriel said icily. "I'm giving you a month to take Ladybug's miraculous. If you don't succeed in that time frame, I'm pulling you out of school and you will be with your personal tutors again. And I will not allow you to visit any of your friends, either."

Adrien's eyes widened at his father's threat. No, he couldn't do that...Adrien would never let his father cut him off from his friends. They were the only people who kept him sane in his messed up life.

"Don't you dare," Adrien said, barely above a whisper. His voice cracked in fear, trying to imagine going back to a life of confinement in his home.

"I won't do anything as long as you're successful. I'm sure that you will succeed if you put your full effort into it. It seemed that having your own mother back in your life just wasn't enough motivation for you," Gabriel said dismissively.

Adrien fought back tears. He merely gave a small nod of agreement, then got up to leave his father's office, trying to stop his frustrated tears from falling.

He had fooled himself into believing that he had any free will with his father around. Letting Adrien go to school was just an illusion—his father could take that away from him too in just the blink of an eye. And how _dare_ he threaten to cut him off from his friends?

Adrien didn't think it was possible for him to take Ladybug's miraculous in just a month. What more could he do? Did his father want him to be more ruthless towards her? There were only about four Akuma attacks every month, which was certainly not enough opportunities for him to take her earrings.

Adrien felt like his home was suffocating him. He ran out of the mansion, a single teardrop falling down his face as he stepped out into the morning sun.

* * *

Adrien stood underneath a white gazebo in the middle of an isolated area at the edge of the park. There were bushes and trees surrounding the pond and the gazebo, and not many people knew about this small area due to its strangely remote and hidden location within the park.

Adrien remembered coming to this small, secret garden with his mom when he was a child. She would walk here with him from time to time on pleasant days. Sometimes even his father would tag along when he wasn't swamped with work, and Adrien would ride on his shoulders as they walked here to the gazebo.

Those were better days.

It had always been a place of comfort for him, a reminder of what his family used to be. There was a time when the Agreste family was picture perfect—his parents were so in love, and they both gave Adrien as much love and affection as they were capable of.

Now it was all gone. Now all he had was a missing mother, a control freak of a father, and a pet cat/fairy that hated his guts.

Adrien stared at the grey clouds above. The rain had stopped an hour ago, leaving a pleasant smell of dew and earth in the air.

He wanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn't come. Instead he felt empty, and Adrien wondered what would become of his life in a couple of years. How much longer could he keep up this whole secret-identity charade? Would his mother ever come back? When would his father just _let him be_?

"You okay, kid?" Plagg asked softly, peeking out from his shirt pocket. He was so miserable that even Plagg was starting to feel sorry for him.

Adrien laughed bitterly. "No."

 _Snap._

Adrien's head turned quickly towards the half-hidden pathway when he heard the sound of a twig snapping. Someone else was here. This wasn't a common occurrence—barely anyone else knew about this secret garden. As childish as it sounded, Adrien had always considered it to be _his_ garden.

When he saw who it was, his heart stopped.

It was _Ladybug._

Adrien stared in confusion and awe as she made her way towards him and stepped up onto the gazebo. She seemed very hesitant as she approached him.

"I'm sorry for intruding," she said, avoiding direct eye contact as if talking to him was making her anxious. "Someone falsely reported a disturbance in the park to be an Akuma attack so I got here as fast as I could. And th-then...I saw you in the park and you looked really upset. So I just...I followed you here," Ladybug explained, gesturing towards their current location.

"You...you were concerned about me?" Adrien asked, his voice slightly strained as a powerful surge of emotions overcame him. He still couldn't believe this was happening. Ladybug was concerned about him. _Ladybug cared that he was feeling upset._

Ladybug stared at him. "Of course. I...I don't like seeing people upset. And you seem like a nice person so I just figured that...maybe you want someone to talk to." She looked at him with a tender expression, one that Adrien knew he didn't deserve.

He didn't deserve her concern, or her sympathy for that matter. He felt guilty, but above all, he was _confused_. His emotions were whirring around inside him, and on top of it all, his brain was telling him one thing while his heart was telling him another.

"You don't even know me," Adrien said indifferently, averting his gaze away from her.

Ladybug didn't respond to his statement. Adrien hated the fact that just looking at her face was enough to send his heart into overdrive. He tried to think rationally in an attempt to control his emotions.

 _She's my enemy_ , Adrien told himself firmly. Ladybug was the reason his father was threatening to pull him out of school and separate him from his friends. If she wasn't so _stubborn_ , perhaps Adrien would have already gotten his mother back and he could just go to school and live a normal life. His father would have gotten off his back already and everything that was weighing him down wouldn't be a problem anymore.

His father's words echoed in his head. _One month…_

Adrien realized that this was the perfect opportunity. Whether he liked it or not, it was time for him to step up his game and get this all over with. He desperately needed a new strategy, and what better way was there than to fool Ladybug into thinking she could trust him? It was all too perfect—he didn't even need to try. For whatever reason, she trusted Adrien. And Adrien could use that to his advantage.

"I don't need to know someone to care about them," she finally said after an awkward silence. "Nobody deserves to be upset."

 _Stop being so nice,_ Adrien hissed in his own head. She was making this awfully difficult by being nice to him and showing that she genuinely cared. Adrien realized that it was going to be very hard to metaphorically stab her in the back if he let his guilt and his suppressed feelings get to him.

 _I don't like Ladybug_ , Adrien reminded himself. _I like Marinette. Once this is all over, I can stop being Chat Noir and I can finally gather the courage to ask her out on a date. I won't have to lie to her anymore._

"I really appreciate your concern," Adrien said, suppressing the urge to smirk at her as he concocted his brilliant plan. "Honestly, I'm fine. I just got into a fight with my father, that's all. It's nothing new."

She was so _clueless._

"Oh, okay," she said. "I'm sure you and your father will work it all out."

"We always do," Adrien responded simply, but this was a blatant lie.

There was another awkward silence, and Adrien took this as an opportunity to move in closer towards her. Ladybug was blushing as their arms were practically touching. Adrien couldn't believe how easily everything was falling into place—for once, his good looks were coming in handy for something other than modelling.

"I think you _do_ know me, Ladybug," Adrien said, looking at her intently and giving her the most charming smile he could muster. He _hated_ playing the famous card even more than he hated signing autographs. But if Ladybug recognized Adrien from his modelling, it would only help his cause.

Ladybug looked at him in alarm when he suggested that she knew him, like he had just slapped her in the face. "Know you? Of course I don't—" she said quickly.

"Really?" Adrien frowned. "You haven't seen any billboards with my face on it?"

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, then looked relieved after he said this. Adrien was confused. What did she think he meant?

"Okay, you got me," Ladybug laughed. "I'm a huge fan of your work. I didn't just follow you here because you looked like a sad stranger. I think the Agreste brand is the best around and I've seen every photoshoot you've ever been in." She was blushing as she admitted this.

Adrien didn't know whether he should feel smug about it (since Ladybug didn't realize her celeb crush was her arch-nemesis,) flattered, or even more guilty about what he was doing. Maybe Ladybug was right when she continuously blamed him for messing with her mind.

"Hey, don't sweat it. This just means you have good taste," Adrien said, patting her on the shoulder. Ladybug looked even more flustered when he did this, and that's when he knew that his plan was working. Could he _really_ coerce Ladybug into revealing her identity just with a few charming smiles and flirtatious gestures?

"You say that you admire me, but what I do doesn't even come close to everything _you_ do to protect the city. I think you're amazing," Adrien said in a low, coercive voice. "And pretty, too, if you don't mind me saying." He might be lying to her right now about—well, _everything_ —but she _was_ pretty. Beautiful, even.

Ladybug's face looked as bright red as a tomato. Adrien's inner Chat was surfacing as he suppressed the urge to laugh at her—he could only imagine how Ladybug would react if she knew that it was really Chat Noir who was complimenting her and reducing her to a puddle of feelings.

If he wasn't her enemy, perhaps he would have felt even worse for messing with her like this. He thought of it as payback for the faux-kiss a few days back. That incident had really messed him up. And for once, _he_ was winning and Ladybug was losing. She just didn't realize it yet.

"I'm sure you're even more beautiful underneath that mask," Adrien said softly. He looked at Ladybug's earrings. So close, yet so far...those earrings, in his possession, meant freedom. He could only take them from her himself if she was de-transformed.

For a moment, Ladybug looked at him with a questioning stare, then reverted back to nervousness as she brushed a loose lock of hair away from her face with her hand. She averted her gaze from him and stared at the ground.

Every gesture she made while talking to Adrien seemed so uncharacteristic for her. There was something much more shy and hesitant about her when she wasn't confronting Chat Noir, he observed.

"You don't know that," she muttered, but then Adrien reached out and lifted her chin up towards him.

"I _do_ know that," he said, attempting to sound as sincere as possible. "You're so enigmatic, so _brave_. I would give anything to know who you really are. I promise that if you revealed your identity to me, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Adrien technically wasn't lying. He _did_ think she was brave. He _would_ give anything to find out who Ladybug really was. And if he ever _did_ find out her civilian identity, Adrien didn't have the intention of telling anyone. (Then again, Chat Noir was probably the last person on earth that Ladybug would want to know her identity anyway.)

Ladybug pushed away his hand from her face, then gave Adrien a confused stare.

"Goodbye, Adrien," Ladybug said. She then flung her yo-yo to a tall tree above, then swung away from him and out of sight.

Adrien just stood there, not quite understanding what had just happened and feeling like a major asshole. He never thought it was possible to hate himself even more, but right now he had proven himself wrong.

* * *

Marinette was still trying to process what had just happened. Just moments ago, Adrien had been trying to flirt with her. No, _Ladybug_ —he had been trying to flirt with _Ladybug_ , and that's what made it all worse.

Apart from calling her beautiful, he had also tried to convince her to reveal her identity. _Why_ would he do that?

Marinette was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, her back leaned against her bed. Tikki was hovering near her, munching on a cookie while looking concerned at the same time.

"He was acting different, Tikki," Marinette said. "I don't know if it's all just in my head, but the Adrien I know isn't like that."

Tikki frowned. "Acting like what? What was Adrien doing that was so out of the ordinary?"

Marinette groaned frustratedly. "That's just it, I don't exactly know! There was just something...something _off_ about him. He didn't seem like himself. It was almost like he was trying to coerce me into revealing my identity. Which is ridiculous, because I would never do that no matter who he is, not even if he's the boy I've had a crush on for almost two years."

"If you're feeling something off about Adrien then maybe you should stay away from him. Listen to your gut and don't trust him," Tikki warned.

Marinette had always gotten the vibe that Tikki didn't like Adrien, and her warning was just reinforcing Marinette's suspicions. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Marinette asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm just telling you to do what you think is right," Tikki sighed.

Marinette just let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, I'm not going to start ignoring him over one weird encounter as Ladybug. I think the only reason I'm so conflicted is because I was jealous. I mean, he never talks to me like that as Marinette. But when I'm Ladybug, suddenly he's swooning! It's not fair."

"Marinette, don't be jealous of yourself. That's ridiculous," Tikki responded.

"But you know what's even weirder?" Marinette began. "That was technically his first time meeting Ladybug and the first thing he wants to know is my identity! How stupid does he think I am?" Marinette fumed.

"Believe it or not, Marinette, people act differently when they're talking to different people," Tikki said nonchalantly.

"I guess," Marinette mumbled.

Adrien would never like Marinette. Not when she was forced to compete with Ladybug, who, frustratingly enough, was _herself_.


	8. My Lips Don't Lie

"Marinette, we need to discuss something," Sabine Cheng said sternly as Marinette was about to head up towards her room. The sixteen year-old paled as she recognized her mother's tone, hesitantly turning her attention towards her parents. Sabine and Tom were sitting in the living room, a serious expression on both of their faces.

"Yes?" she asked, standing right by the stairs. She hoped that whatever they needed to say would be quick, since she had to go on patrol very soon. Marinette thought it was pointless, but somehow it seemed to raise the morale of many Parisians if they simply saw her watching over the city at night.

"Sit down," Sabine demanded curtly. Marinette was getting even more nervous if this 'discussion' meant sitting down.

Marinette stared at her parents, waiting for one of them to speak to find out what this was all about. Tom was the first to say something; his usual jolly and easy-going attitude was nowhere to be seen.

"We're concerned about your grades, Marinette," Tom began. "We received a call from your teacher a couple of hours ago, and she's noticing a significant drop in performance in all of your classes."

Marinette was speechless. She dreaded the idea of having to explain or justify her grades to her parents.

"We're worried, dear," Sabine said gently. "You always seem so tired and stressed out. And now that we know about your grades and that you're struggling in class, I'm very concerned. Is there something going on that you're not telling us about?"

"Of course not," Marinette lied. She felt the pit in her stomach grow as she was forced to lie to her parents yet again. She couldn't tell them about how stressful it was being Ladybug. She couldn't tell them how Chat Noir was finding his way into her civilian life as well. She couldn't tell them about how Adrien's strange actions yesterday left her questioning everything. She couldn't tell them about how every day was becoming a challenge as she tried to balance being both Ladybug and Marinette with nobody by her side, and nobody to rely on but herself. She was alone. She was completely, utterly, _alone._

"Sweetie, don't feel like you can't tell us. We know you're an intelligent young girl, we know what you're capable of. If you don't try your very best right now, how are you going to follow your dreams of becoming a fashion designer? If there's something bothering you or distracting you, then we need to know," Tom said earnestly.

Marinette felt tears threaten to fall. She wished she could tell them. Until last year, she had told her parents _everything._ She used to recount in detail to her parents about Chloe's latest temper tantrums, about her least favorite classes and about the boys she thought were cute, about people in class who she didn't like, to which her parents would always remind her not to judge others.

But they could never understand _this_. It would only make her life more difficult than it already was if her parents knew her secret.

"I'm fine," Marinette muttered, not looking directly at either of her parents.

"No, you're not," Sabine said stubbornly. "What are you not telling us?"

"Nothing!" Marinette said more forcefully. "Just leave me alone—you don't have to be so nosy all the time!" She instantly regretted acting this way, knowing that there would be consequences for talking back to her parents like that. But she couldn't think of any other way to avoid the topic.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you do _not_ speak to your mother that way," Tom said, the anger rising in his tone. "We're just asking you to be honest about what's going on, and instead you're lashing out. It's only making us more worried about you."

"Then stop worrying! I'm fine," Marinette insisted frustratedly. "I have to go do my homework, you're both wasting my time." She got up from the sofa and headed towards her room, ignoring the sound of her parent's protests from behind her.

"Marinette, don't you _dare_ walk away from us," Sabine threatened. Marinette didn't respond, and instead climbed up the ladder that led to her room, slamming the trap door closed underneath her.

* * *

Ladybug ran across the rooftops of Paris, the wind stinging her eyes and preventing her frustrated tears from falling as she made her way to her destination. The moon appeared to follow her as she ran, gently illuminating her distraught face.

It was chilly out here in the late-night weather, but Ladybug's suit was enough to keep her comfortably warm. She didn't mind facing her relatively new fear of going out at night if it meant getting away from her home. Her parent's didn't understand. They weren't _allowed_ to understand, and that's what made it frustrating. Everyone expected _so much_ from her and she was never able to live up to those expectations. She would never be enough. She would never be enough for _anyone._

Ladybug stopped once she reached her favorite rooftop in all of Paris. It was one of the tallest buildings, located right in the middle of the city with a clear view of the Eiffel Tower, which was illuminated by a thousand glowing, golden lights. There was a small garden up here as well, where someone had planted various fruits and vegetables.

If she didn't feel so miserable and overwhelmed, perhaps she would have enjoyed this time spent alone in such a peaceful environment.

She gave a frustrated sigh as she sat down at the edge of the rooftop. Ladybug glanced to her right to take in the full view of the scenery, but what she saw made her heart stop.

There, sitting at the other end of the building and towards her right, was a certain leather-clad super villain with cat ears and a tail that was frozen in shock.

Chat Noir and Ladybug stared at each other in surprise, with nothing but the moon and the city lights below illuminating their faces. Surprise turned into hatred, as the two teenagers' expressions turned into identical scowls of dislike.

 _Speak of the devil,_ Ladybug thought. Here was the source of all her problems.

They both stood up, not quite knowing what the other was about to do. Ladybug wondered if he was going to attack her; but she was in no mood for a fight. She physically couldn't right now, she was so drained of any and all energy.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged in," Chat mused, but Ladybug noticed that his eyes showed tiredness. "I love it when my most _favorite_ person shows up and ruins my quiet introspection time," he said sarcastically.

"Believe me, you're the last person I wanted to see here. Were you busy reflecting on what a vile, disgusting human being you are?" she retorted.

"Nope, I was just plotting my next bank robbery. Actually, scratch that—I was thinking of spicing it up this time around—how about a jewelry store instead? Are you free on Wednesday afternoon, 'cause I might keep you busy…" Chat said, partially leaning on his staff with the most insufferable smirk on his face.

"I hate you," was the only response Ladybug could come up with. She was too tired for this, and she was feeling awfully lightheaded. If Chat was about to fight her, then Ladybug was sure she was going to lose. She remembered the last time she made the mistake of leaving her house at night—it was ending badly once again, but this time Chat wasn't likely to save her.

"Likewise," Chat responded simply. "Though I have to say, what a coincidence we end up on the same rooftop at the same time! I'm in no mood for a catfight—because let's face it, I would win—so how about you just run along and we can pretend this little rendezvous never happened?"

Ladybug was shocked. Chat had no interest in fighting her tonight. The irritating, _insufferable_ menace wanted nothing to do with her. Instead, it seemed he just wanted to go back to sulking alone. In what world did any of that make sense?

Feeling like a petulant child, Ladybug merely responded by saying "No."

Now it was Chat's turn to look irritated. "I was here first. _Leave_."

"No, you leave! Go be pathetic somewhere else. This is _my_ spot and I come here all the time," Ladybug answered, her eyes narrowed. This was all so _wrong_. The two teenagers who mostly spent their time giving each other death threats were instead fighting over a rooftop like little kids.

Chat responded by exposing his sharp claws, which shimmered dangerously in the moonlight. Ladybug just stared at him with a deadpan expression, wanting nothing more than to shove him off this rooftop and end her problems once and for all.

"You were saying?" he demanded, moving closer towards her until his claws were brushing against her face. A chill went up her spine as the metallic feel of his claws touched her face.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, but he responded by digging his claws deeper into her cheek.

"Wouldn't want to leave a mark on your pretty little face, would we?" Chat whispered in her ear. (The feeling of his breath against her ear sent an unsolicited, tingling feeling throughout her body.) "I'll leave this rooftop and your face unharmed if you give me your miraculous."

Ladybug was just about to laugh and make a snarky response at his pathetic attempt at convincing her to give up her miraculous. Then she glared into his eyes, somewhat shocked at their green luminosity. It was odd and unsettling, but something about his eyes was familiar. Although it contradicted all of her senses, everything she knew about Chat, she suddenly felt... _safe_.

For the first time in her life, she didn't feel repulsed by being so close to him. It was quite the opposite, actually, and admitting that to herself felt strange and horrifying.

It was like she was in a trance; suddenly everything she hated about Chat was being shoved to the back of her mind, as if it wasn't important at all. Chat's physical features transformed in front of her eyes, going from repulsive to attractive as she simply let go of her bias. Why had she never admired how _hot_ his messy hair was and how perfectly his suit accented his abs?

 _No. No no no no no!_ What was she _thinking?_ Was she going _insane?_ Ladybug couldn't believe that she was capable of such thoughts—especially not about _Chat Noir!_

Chat's threatening facade faltered as he stared back at her. She saw the same hunger in his eyes from their recent faux-kiss last week, when she had tricked him into becoming a flustered wreck. Ladybug felt something—an indescribable, undeniable electricity between them. Maybe it was the fact that her weekend had been so terrible, but every impulse in her body was demanding that she do something stupid.

Their close proximity and her current emotional state didn't help either. Ladybug felt something rise in her chest, a strange longing, a desire that she had never felt before. Did Chat feel the same way? The way he was looking at her now seemed to indicate it. Ladybug couldn't believe all the things that were going through her mind, she couldn't explain why she felt this way. What she wanted to do defied all of her morals, and it defied all logic.

It was like a magnetic force was pulling them together. Chat didn't pull away as her lips approached his. His face was disbelieving at first, but he seemed to be in the same trance that she was.

Their lips finally met. At first they were hesitant, waiting to see what the other would do. Their lips locked together—careful, at first—but then Ladybug pulled him closer, feeling like she had lost every shred of control she had over her own body. She liked this. It felt _good_. Her subconscious knew that she was going to hate herself for this later, but she was too busy living in the moment.

Chat responded by deepening the kiss, lowering his hand that was previously touching her face in a threatening manner. It was like they had forgotten everything about each other, like none of their hate or enmity ever mattered in the first place. The only thing that mattered was the intense feelings that were suddenly surfacing between them.

He put an arm around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She moved her hands up towards his hair, which felt incredibly _soft_. Her suit might cover her hands, but the material still allowed her to feel just as she normally would.

She had never kissed anyone before. Come to think of it, she didn't even know what she was _doing_. Their lips moved on their own accord, and Ladybug was just going along with it. His lips were soft and—dare she say it— _dreamy_. She had always imagined her first kiss would be dull and disappointing, not as good as movies and books made it seem like it would be. But she could _feel_ the sparks flying right now, ignited by a burning intensity. Her body felt like it was floating. But after what felt like an eternity, they both pulled away simultaneously in order to gasp for air.

Ladybug froze in shock when she finally separated from Chat. As soon as it was over, a distinct feeling of horror came over at the realization of what had just happened. Chat looked dazed and confused as he stared back at her.

" _Well then_ ," Chat said after awkwardly coughing to clear his throat.

Ladybug felt like she wanted to cry. It was suddenly sinking in that she had just given up her first kiss to _Chat Noir_. As dumb as it sounded, even though she was sure that he didn't like her back, she had always wanted her first kiss to be with Adrien.

But she couldn't cry in front of _him_. He wasn't allowed to see her be weak.

"A-are you okay?" he muttered, like it was painful for him to even ask, but a shred of decency had prompted him to do so.

Ladybug's suppressed anger was back. "No! Of course I'm not okay! I just kissed _you_ , for heaven's sake! I knew I was an emotional wreck a few minutes ago because of my family, but then somehow I end up kissing the most repulsive human being on the planet! And you know what makes it worse? That was my first kiss! And I wasted it on _you_. God, Chat! Why do you have to ruin everything?"

Ladybug fought back tears, not quite knowing where her outburst had come from. As if her parents' disappointment wasn't enough, she felt like she was suffocating under all of the pressure. Being Ladybug and Paris' sole superhero was tough, and Chat Noir was the reason everything was so much more difficult for her. But she hadn't expected to lash out like _this_.

Chat looked furious. "Oh, so this is _my_ fault? I knew you were a lot of things, but I didn't know you were a hypocrite! _You_ kissed _me_! Stop acting like the victim, Ladybug, because this is your fault and _not_ mine. And you always accuse me of ruining your life, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're ruining mine? You're so selfish!"

"Just shut up," Ladybug scowled. "Admit it _; you liked it_. Don't tell me you haven't dreamed this would happen." She was treading on dangerous territory right now, but she couldn't let him win. Not physically, and not verbally either.

An undeniable blush rose in his cheeks, but he just scowled. He looked like he wanted to pounce at her right then and there, but something was holding him back.

"I wasted my first kiss on you too," he said quietly, the disgust evident in his voice as well. They glared at each other with intensity that Ladybug didn't even know was possible. Who could have guessed that they had been passionately kissing each other just moments ago?

"Have a terrible night," Ladybug said coldly, turning around to leave.

"You too," Chat said sourly. " _Pest_ …" he mumbled under his breath, just barely loud enough for Ladybug to hear.

* * *

Adrien jerked awake to the sound of someone calling his name.

"Mister Agreste," Monsieur Franks repeated, standing by the blackboard with a frown on his face. "Do you have an answer or have you been dozing off during my class this entire time?"

"Uh…" he began groggily, then blinked in confusion as he tried to process what was written on the blackboard. Nothing made sense. It all looked like gibberish. "The limit does not exist," he guessed randomly. This _was_ calculus, after all…

Monsieur Franks looked surprised. "That is...correct."

Marinette giggled beside him, seemingly amused at his dumb luck. Adrien smiled to himself at the thought of making her laugh. Though now that he glanced at her, she seemed even more tired than he was, and that was saying something.

Monsieur Franks ended the lesson and passed out worksheets, while Adrien tried hard not to feel Marinette's presence beside him. He was genuinely starting to feel concerned about her. Why did she always seem so exhausted? Adrien had a reason for being tired, after the "incident" from last night.

 _The incident_...Adrien felt chills crawl up his spine at the mere thought of it. He had kissed Ladybug. As in, _Ladybug_ , his sworn enemy. And although it was difficult to accept, he had enjoyed it. It had been... _pleasurable_ to say the least. Granted, Adrien's hatred for Ladybug wasn't as strong as _her_ hatred was for him, but he felt hurt when Ladybug accused him of ruining her life.

Adrien frowned, feeling angry as he remembered how she had reacted to the kiss. She had overreacted. It was all _her_ fault. Sure, he had been drawn to her just as Ladybug had been drawn to him, but he hadn't acted on his urges. _Ladybug_ was the one who kissed him. How dare she have the audacity to accuse him? Come to think of it, why was _he_ always the one to take the blame? If it wasn't for her, he would have had his mother back. He would have had a relatively normal life where he wouldn't feel guilty about telling Marinette his feelings given how much she hated Chat Noir.

 _Marinette_...another predicament. Adrien wished he could take the kiss back. He and Marinette weren't even "a thing," but he still felt guilty about kissing Ladybug when his feelings for Marinette had never been stronger. It had made Adrien question his own character (ironic, considering who he secretly was,) since he had never considered himself to be a player or a guy who acted on every whim he had towards any girl. That was _not_ who he was.

But then something occurred to him.

Marinette was his cure. He hated all of his conflicted feelings, especially what he felt towards Ladybug because none of those feelings made any sense. Even after he had tried to deceive Ladybug recently, he had felt like an utter piece of shit and his conscious had been completely unforgiving. Adrien didn't have a problem with threatening to hurt her as Chat Noir, but suddenly when it came to trying to manipulate her and betraying her trust, _that's_ when he chickened out. He felt angry at himself for not only resorting to that option, but failing at it as well. Perhaps dating Marinette could make him forget about his stupid, pointless crush on Ladybug so he could efficiently meet his father's deadline and live in peace.

The point of the matter was that Marinette liked him, and he liked her. Ever since he had saved her all those nights ago, Adrien felt oddly protective towards her. He knew that Marinette was perfectly capable of taking care of herself (he had seen her lift extremely heavy bags of flour before, and Alya mentioned that she had a six-pack.) But nonetheless, he wanted to be there for her. She wasn't herself lately, and Adrien wanted to know what was going on in her life that she wasn't telling anyone about. Her profound dislike for Chat had somehow only intensified his liking for her. It was oddly comforting knowing that even though she despised him, she still technically liked him. It was the fact that she stood up for her morals and values that seemed to strike a chord in him.

But there was the underlying problem. If somehow they ever ended up in a relationship, he would be lying to her. He dreaded to think about it, but Marinette would need to know. It could take months, even years, but he couldn't hide it from her forever. Adrien blushed at the thought of "forever"—he was getting ahead of himself, even if he was thinking theoretically. Would she have him arrested? Would she be so disgusted with him that she could never look at him again?

And what about his father's threat? It dawned on Adrien that he was running out of time. If he didn't take Ladybug's miraculous within the next few weeks, he might never see Marinette again. His father would make sure of that. The thought made Adrien sick to the stomach, and he knew that he needed to act as soon as possible.

Monsieur Franks excused himself before he left the classroom to go to the restroom, leaving the students alone. Naturally, this meant that Chloe felt like she was obligated to draw everyone's attention towards her.

" _Adrikins_ ," she called out loudly from the aisle of seats that was to his right. "You look _exhausted_! Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Adrien cringed over the fact that she felt it was necessary to broadcast their conversation to the entire class. "Yes, I'm fine, Chloe. Thanks for the concern."

"I don't believe you," she said stubbornly. "Ooh, I have an idea! I just bought a guided sleep meditation DVD the other day, you should come over and try it out!"

Going over to Chloe's house was the _last_ thing he wanted. "No, uh, that won't be necessary…" Adrien said, trying very hard not to sound rude. Which was even _more_ difficult since the entire class was listening.

"Are you sure?" Chloe said, her head resting in her hands as she gazed longingly at him.

"He already said no, Chloe, back off," Marinette suddenly interrupted, her eyes narrowed at the blond.

Chloe's attitude changed instantly, and she gave Marinette a cold, hard glare. "This has nothing to do with _you_ , Marinette. I wasn't talking to you."

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly trying very hard to make this a private conversation," Marinette remarked coolly. This— _this_ was why he admired Marinette.

Much to everyone's surprise, Chloe stood up from her seat, smiling menacingly at her. "I get it, Marinette. You only butted into this conversation because you have a pathetic crush on Adrien. You can't bear the idea of him hanging out with another girl. I understand your insecurity though—I mean, look at you! No wonder you feel threatened by me!"

"Chloe, stop," Adrien said, a warning tone. He wasn't going to let Chloe bully Marinette in front of the whole class.

"That's not true!" Marinette said, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Adrien's my friend! Stop twisting this into something it's not!" she said defensively.

"What a pathetic _liar_!" Chloe laughed tauntingly. "I mean, let's face it—" she said, turning around to address the class as a whole. "Who here _doesn't_ know about Marinette's _pathetic_ crush on Adrien?"

A low, awkward murmur of agreement ensued between the other students. Alya and Nino looked like they wanted to throttle Chloe right then and there.

Wait— _everyone_ knew about Marinette's crush on him? And he never realized himself until Nino had told him? Adrien felt incredibly stupid and clueless, but looking back, it all made sense. Had he really been stupid enough to think she didn't like him?

"Let's make this easier for Marinette, it's wrong to let someone just live in a fantasy. Adrien, just tell her you don't like her back. It's been painful watching her pine over you for so long, let's end it now," Chloe said, relishing the moment.

Adrien glanced over at Marinette, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. So far, she had been strong enough to hold it in, but Adrien couldn't believe how cruel Chloe was being. Nobody was allowed to hurt Marinette like that. Not when everything Chloe was saying was false, because who was _she_ to tell him who he did and didn't like?

"I'm not going to tell her that, Chloe," Adrien said calmly, a disapproving glare directed towards the girl who had once been his only friend. _This was it. It was now or never._ "Because I like Marinette back."

There was a stunned silence that followed after Adrien made his declaration. Chloe looked like she had just been slapped in the face, while Alya and Nino shared a disbelieving yet ecstatic glance. Marinette stared at him, the shock written all over her face.

"I mean…" Adrien began, suddenly feeling shy as he turned to face Marinette. "I-is it true? Do you like me too?"

Marinette seemed to be at a loss for words. "Wh-what? I—of course I like you!" she stammered.

Adrien didn't know what else to say. This was all happening so fast, and everyone was watching, too. What was he supposed to say?

"This ship has sailed!" Alya declared loudly, standing up in glee. The entire class erupted in cheers, and Nino got up and started clapping as loudly as he could. Adrien stood there, completely stunned, as it seemed that everyone was celebrating what seemed to be his new relationship. (Was it official now? He wasn't sure.)

Well...everyone except Chloe, Sabrina, and Marinette. Chloe looked like a stink bomb had exploded in her face. Her nose was scrunched up in disgust but her eyes still displayed shock. It seemed that her taunts had backfired in the most vicious way possible. Sabrina was celebrating half-heartedly, nervously glancing over at Chloe, possibly wondering if her best friend was about to murder someone in rage.

Marinette...well, she was just as stunned as he was. She merely stood there, blushing at all the sudden attention and then glanced expectantly at Adrien. He slowly walked towards her, hyper aware of his onlooking classmates. Instinctively, he grabbed her hands and held them in his own, realizing just how perfectly their hands fit together. Like puzzle pieces.

"I'm sorry I wasn't very obvious about my feelings...I was dumb. I thought you didn't like me. I think you're amazing and...I would be honored if you could be my girlfriend," Adrien said, meaning every word he said.

Marinette looked back at him, a smile on her lips. "I can't think of anything better than that."

More hoots and hollers of excitement followed, while Nino approached Adrien and give him the biggest bro hug possible. "I'm so proud of you! Both of you!" he exclaimed. "Fucking _finally_!"

Amid the excitement, Monsieur Franks opened the door to the classroom and had returned. He stared in surprise as all of his students were out of their seats, making noise and taking turns embracing Marinette and Adrien, who were currently holding hands in the middle of the room.

"What are you all doing? Get back in your seats and finish this worksheet, you have a quiz tomorrow!" he exclaimed.

Adrien sat back down in his seat next to Marinette, and they held hands underneath their shared desk. Adrien felt like this was all too good to be true.


	9. Words Unspoken

The week passed by in a blur, and Marinette was still questioning whether or not she was dreaming. She hummed to herself as she pulled out her textbook before school started, feeling oddly content. Marinette couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy, and for once she wasn't tired. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be fully awake. It seemed that not even an Akuma attack could dampen her spirits, something that thankfully hadn't happened all week. Perhaps her luck would remain intact for the remainder of today.

Marinette felt someone grab her shoulders from behind, and she almost shrieked in surprise until she saw who it was.

"Good morning!" said her boyfriend, beaming at her with his picture-perfect smile and sunny-golden hair.

"Adrien!" she said, smiling widely and giving him a hug. She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling apart. "Guess what, I have something for you," Marinette said, reaching into her locker and pulling out a small box with her bakery's logo on it. She had carefully placed a ribbon on it as well, knowing that she was going to give it to Adrien.

"You shouldn't have," Adrien said, but he looked intrigued at the little red box. Marinette handed it to him, and he looked at her questioningly until she motioned for him to open it. He carefully undid the ribbon and opened the box to find a neatly arrayed selection of macaroons. "These look amazing," Adrien said. "Thank you so much! I'm amazed at how quickly you deduced that the way to my heart is through my stomach."

"Well, you're too skinny. I thought I should fatten you up," Marinette giggled.

"My dietician already hates you, then," Adrien laughed.

"Well, well, if it isn't our two favorite lovebirds," Alya said as she approached the two, Nino following closely behind.

"You've got to be kidding me," Nino complained, looking at Adrien's box of macarons enviously. "I knew it! He's using you to get sweets! What a greedy little—"

"Just take one and shut up," Adrien said simply, rolling his eyes but smiling towards his best friend. Nino smiled mischievously and took one for himself from the box.

"There's more where that come from," Marinette said to Nino, a plan forming in her head. It had been a while since the four of them had hung out together outside of school, and she thought the upcoming weekend was the perfect opportunity. The thought that made her even more giddy was that this would be the first time they would hang out as two _couples_. "Would you guys be interested in staying at the bakery this weekend? We could even have a sleepover if that's okay with all of you."

"Sounds good to me. What about you, boys?" Alya said.

"I'll be there," Nino said, but his voice was slightly muffled by the macaroon he was still chewing.

"Oh, uh…" Adrien said, as he realized that everyone was now waiting on an answer from him. Marinette's heart sank in disappointment at the thought of Adrien not being able to make it. She knew how busy he always was with his modelling and other forced activities, not to mention his very restrictive father who hadn't even allowed him to have a birthday party.

"Of course I'll come," he finally said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about it," he said reassuringly.

"I'm so glad that you're coming," Marinette smiled, giving him a hug. He felt warm and perfect and Marinette still couldn't believe that he was _her_ boyfriend. After months of feeling awful, somehow her luck had changed.

* * *

That night, Marinette was sitting in her bed, a blanket wrapped around herself as she was on her phone texting Adrien. The glowing light of her phone illuminated her tired face, but a faint smile was on her lips.

 _Adrien: I can't sleep. :(_

 _Marinette: Same. I can't even find anything to watch on Netflix…_

 _Adrien: Watch Naruto_

 _Marinette: Ugh, no. I've told you, I don't want to watch anime ever_

 _Adrien: You haven't even tried it!_

 _Marinette: I don't need to. I know it's trash just like you_

 _Adrien: You wound me_

 _Marinette: Nonsense, I wouldn't wound someone so cute ;)_

 _Adrien: hm…that's true, I'm too cute to be wounded_

 _Marinette: I can practically see your annoyingly smug face rn_

 _Adrien: Or maybe I'm secretly blushing at your compliments_ _  
_

 _Marinette: I wouldn't know. You're too far away from me :(_

 _Adrien: If only there was something I could do to fix that_

 _Marinette: Haha, yeah…_

Marinette stared at her phone, waiting for a response. Adrien hadn't responded for the past few minutes, but her screen told her that he had read her last text. Since it was so early into their relationship, Marinette suddenly started to feel anxious. Had she said something wrong? Was he ignoring her?

She suddenly realized how ridiculous she was being. _Of_ _course_ he wasn't ignoring her, he had probably just fallen asleep. There was no reason for her to overthink any of this. Marinette yawned, her body aching for sleep but her mind racing with energy.

She froze in panic when she heard someone tapping on the trap door above her. An unpleasant chill ran up her spine as she recalled that there was only one person who could be making such a noise on her roof this late at night. Marinette wasn't mentally ready for this, but she didn't have a choice. The tapping continued and she realized that she needed to answer before her parents heard the noise too.

"Alright, I'm coming!" she hissed as she moodily got up and climbed the ladder, her blanket still wrapped around her as she made her way up towards the trap door that led to her balcony.

Marinette pushed it open and immediately felt the cool night air surround her. She stood up on the balcony, finding Chat Noir comfortably lounging on her chair and reading a magazine that she had left on there earlier.

"Who _is_ this guy?" Chat said in disgust, flipping through the pages and pointing towards the advertisements with Adrien in it. "I see his face everywhere. He's not even attractive."

It hadn't even been a few minutes and Chat was already getting on her nerves. As if this meeting wasn't unpleasant enough, he had the _nerve_ to insult her boyfriend. Not that he _knew_ that Adrien was her boyfriend, but whatever.

"He's an accomplished, successful model and he's a million times more attractive than _you_ are, you filthy feline," she said, her eyes narrowed as she snatched the magazine from him. She didn't appreciate that he was touching her things.

"Me- _ouch_ ," Chat grimaced at her insult, but it seemed that her rudeness didn't impact him anymore, which somehow made him even more infuriating. Marinette couldn't fathom why she had kissed the horrible human being sitting in front of her just last week.

 _Stick to the plan, stick to the plan_ ….Marinette reminded herself. As terrible as Chat's visits were for her emotionally, she needed to go along with it if she wanted to get enough information on him to take him down for good.

Chat got up from her chair, a radiant smile on his face as he towered over her. Marinette had the sudden realization that he was just as tall as Adrien was.

"Is that _all_ he is? Just attractive, nothing else?" Chat said, looking at her intently and waiting for an answer.

"N-no, of course not. I wouldn't know, I've never met him," Marinette lied. She couldn't risk letting Chat know that she knew Adrien. Marinette didn't know the extent of Chat's insanity; what if he ended up hurting him?

"You're lying," Chat said in a sing-song voice. "I saw you walking with him yesterday. I was running along on the rooftops and I saw you two holding hands."

"Were you _stalking_ me?" Marinette asked, horrified at the prospect of Chat Noir following her around.

"Of course not," Chat said indignantly. "Gosh, Princess, you think I don't have anything better to do during the day? No, I was just scoping out a jewelry store to rob and you just happened to be there. What a coincidence, huh?" he said with a raised eyebrow and playful smile. "So tell me, is he a dick? Or is he actually your prince charming?"

"My relationship with Adrien is none of your business," Marinette snapped, a frown on her face as she glared at the nosy cat. It was so strange how different all of her encounters with him were. As Ladybug, Chat was just dangerous and demented. As Marinette, he was just an annoying prick that she had to put up with. Then again, she'd rather have annoying personal questions over death threats any day.

"If you say so," Chat smirked. "But I'll have you know, I'm actually _quite_ the romantic. I can give you advice, listen to any relationship woes...you name it."

"Ugh, no," Marinette said. "I think Paris' most hated super villain is the last person I would want to take relationship advice from. I doubt you even have a girlfriend, you're so repulsive." Marinette realized that she had accidentally verbalized her dislike again, which was a problem since she was trying to be civil.

But once again, her insults didn't seem to affect him. "Sheesh, it's like I come here just to be insulted," Chat said with an eye-roll, but he didn't seem to take it to heart very much.

"You come here because I'm probably the only person in Paris who tolerates you," Marinette said pointedly.

Chat crossed his arms over his chest, looking indignant. "Well, you're the only one who tolerates me when I'm wearing a mask. Normally I'm pretty well-liked. Come to think of it, I bet you'd like me as a civilian."

Marinette's heart was racing in anticipation. Chat Noir was treading into dangerous territory, since he seemed so adamant about mentioning his secret identity. Was her plan really working? Did Chat trust her enough to reveal himself?

"Of course I wouldn't," Marinette said curtly. But her response was more of a challenge. It was manipulative, but maybe Chat would try to prove her wrong by revealing himself.

"You'd be surprised," Chat said quietly, looking away from her and focusing on the ground. He seemed conflicted—scared, even. Marinette waited nervously, feeling as if he was about to tell her something very important.

Chat looked up, and their eyes met. He looked so... _vulnerable_ , so frightened. He opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed like he couldn't get any words out. Chat approached her cautiously, gently grabbing hold of her arm. Marinette panicked a little at the gesture, but the fear was immediately replaced with curiosity.

Chat Noir looked into her eyes with more sincerity and compassion than she had ever seen. "Marinette…I'm..." he began, but the rest of the sentence was lost. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to muster up the courage to say whatever he wanted to say. Marinette waited in suspense, but he sighed a tired sigh and let go of her arm.

"I have to go," he said sadly. Without another word, Chat turned around and disappeared into the night, leaving just as abruptly as he had came.

* * *

"It's just for one night," Adrien pleaded, sitting at the long breakfast table across from his father. The distance between them was both metaphorical and literal.

"No," Gabriel repeated simply, ignoring Adrien and focusing on the newspaper instead.

Adrien frustratedly put his fork down onto the table. "I already promised my friends that I would go!"

"Lesson learned, don't make promises you can't keep," Gabriel said with an unwavering lack of expression.

"But _why_?" Adrien demanded, feeling like a child but knowing for a fact that his father was the one being unreasonable.

"Because you're busy. You might not have any photoshoots today, but you've got plenty of other lessons you need to attend since it's Saturday. I've also planned an Akuma attack today, and you're well aware that your deadline is approaching if you want to continue being a part of your friends' lives."

Adrien suddenly felt disgusted at how his father so casually talked about committing a crime and how he seemed so unaffected about blackmailing his son. He had never noticed it much before since he was so used to it, but it was getting more and more noticeable by the day.

Adrien rarely lashed out. He grit his teeth at his father's words, reminding himself that he needed to control his anger if he wanted things to go his way.

"I don't need those lessons and I'll still make it to the Akuma attack if you just let me go," Adrien said calmly, hoping that his controlled response would be enough for his father. Despite his attempts, he knew how stubborn he was and that his attempts were futile.

"My decision is final, Adrien," Gabriel said irritably.

Adrien couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, hands clenching the table as he faced his father. "I'm going whether you like it or not! I'm sick and tired of you controlling and manipulating every single detail of my life. I'll see you tomorrow morning, I'm sleeping over." Adrien didn't bother telling him where he was going as he got up. He left the dining area and made his way towards the door, ignoring his father's threats.

"If you leave there will be consequences," Gabriel reminded him coldly.

"I don't care," Adrien responded, wondering what else his father could possibly do to make his life difficult.

* * *

Adrien realized as soon as he was in front of the bakery that he had made a mistake. He had walked here, fuming, and hadn't even realized that he forgot to bring his pajamas, toothbrush, or any other essentials besides his phone. Not only did he not bring anything with him, he was also two hours early.

"You really are a genius," Plagg commented, peeking out from his shirt pocket.

"Not now, Plagg," Adrien said irritably, shoving the kwami back into his pocket.

Figuring that there wasn't much else he could do, he took a deep breath and stepped into the bakery, where he was greeted by the typically cheerful Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Chengs.

"Adrien, sweetheart! It's so nice to see you!" Sabine said, walking out from behind the counter and squishing Adrien with a hug. Tom approached from behind and joined in, so Adrien truly felt like he was suffocating. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time an adult had hugged him, and it most likely wasn't his father.

"How's my favorite boy, eh?" Tom boomed, ruffling Adrien's hair affectionately.

"Fine," Adrien smiled, lying through his teeth.

"Marinette certainly has good taste," Sabine chuckled. "I couldn't be happier."

"Thank goodness, too! Now, Adrien, I do have some questions for you about your intentions towards my daughter…" Tom said, and Adrien was startled at the suddenly serious tone he had taken.

"Uh, sure…" Adrien said nervously. He was not ready for this, whatever it was…

"That won't be necessary, papa!" said a voice, and Adrien saw that it was Marinette, showing up just in time to rescue him.

"Marinette!" Adrien said in relief.

"You're early," she said.

"I know, sorry about that. It just kind of...happened," he explained.

"And where's your stuff?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I forgot," he said lamely.

Marinette just laughed. "Wow, you really are helpless. Come on, I'll go check and see if I have any extra toothbrushes upstairs. As for clothes, you might want to text Nino," she advised.

"Okay," he said, following her as she headed towards the stairs.

"Leave your door open!" Sabine called from behind. "And I will be checking in on you two every ten minutes!"

Marinette cringed at her parents' protectiveness, to which Adrien merely laughed uncomfortably. He knew it was their job to be concerned and protective, but now Adrien felt like they were going to be watching him extra carefully. It made him feel really self-conscious.

Adrien climbed up the ladder to Marinette's room, making sure to leave the trap door open underneath him. He saw a room that was very pink, and it was very...personalized. Something about the space screamed "Marinette," and it contrasted sharply with his own room. Adrien's room had been arranged and designed by a professional, and he had barely had any say in personal touches.

He looked up and saw the trap door on the roof, which he assumed lead to her balcony. Adrien had only been in here once, long ago. A year before, Adrien had visited Marinette's house to prepare for a gaming tournament. It was on one of the rare occasions that his father had allowed him to go to someone else's house.

"Sorry about my parents. They really do like you, despite what they might imply," Marinette said.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Adrien responded, sitting down on her couch—or was it a bed? No, she had a bunk bed with a desk area underneath. This was probably just a couch/bed combo, Adrien assumed.

He saw Marinette go into her connected bathroom, fumbling around in her mirror cabinet looking for a toothbrush. Adrien stared at her unconsciously, remembering last night in vivid detail. He had been here, just above the spot where he was sitting. Adrien had almost told Marinette who he was, but he had been too scared to go through with it.

Adrien gazed at the floor, thinking about how she might have reacted. He wanted to be optimistic, but he knew that Marinette would have probably freaked out, slapped him, and would never want to see him again. She hated Chat Noir with a burning passion that not even Adrien could explain.

He had been so close to telling her everything. But the thought of losing Marinette was just too much for him to bear.


	10. You Take My Breath Away (Literally)

That Saturday morning, Marinette had learned two things about Adrien. One of those things was that he could make anything—even a dirty, flour-covered apron—look good on him. Another thing was that he seriously lacked artistic ability.

"Uh, no offense, but what is that supposed to be?" Marinette asked, standing beside Adrien in front of the kitchen counter. They were both working on decorating cookies with frosting, and Marinette had given him free reign in decorating it however he wanted.

"It's a cat," Adrien responded as if it were obvious.

"If you say so," Marinette muttered with a small smirk.

"Hey, you have no right to judge me on my decorating skills! Unlike you, I haven't been decorating sweets since the time I learned to talk."

Marinette was about to make a retort when the door opened behind them. She turned around and saw that Alya and Nino had arrived, each carrying their overnight bags.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Alya beamed, giving Marinette a hug as she entered the kitchen.

"Not much, Adrien's just showcasing his flawless decorating skills," Marinette laughed, hugging her back.

Nino snickered. "I'd love to see that."

"Stop bullying me about my cookie, Mari!" Adrien pouted, taking off his apron. (Much to Marinette's dismay; he looked very cute in it.)

"Never," she said, sticking her tongue at him.

"You two are sickeningly cute," Alya said, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless. Then she set her bag on the countertop, opening it and fumbling around inside to retrieve something. "Guess what I've brought! Ultimate Mecha Strike 4!"

"No way!" Adrien said, his eyes widening in disbelief. "The game doesn't come out for another two weeks!"

Alya looked smug. "You'd be surprised at how well the Ladyblog is doing. I've started branching out on my blog, exploring new topics that interest people apart from our superhero vs supervillain situation. Because of my growing fan base, one of the developers reached out to me and asked me to do a review on the game. Naturally, I agreed."

"Alya, this is fantastic! You're really starting to get the recognition you deserve," Marinette said in awe.

"I guess so," Alya said, blushing slightly. "You know, I'm thinking of starting a Youtube channel too."

"And you'll be famous in no time," Nino said affectionately, looking very proud of her.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Adrien smiled. "Let's go try it out!"

* * *

Marinette hadn't realized how competitive this would get. Her three friends had naturally been intimidated by her since she was Francois Dupont's reigning Mecha Strike champion from last year. She knew that Adrien would be tough competition since he had come in at close second, but had given up his title out of the goodness of his heart for their classmate Max.

"Dodge it, dodge it!" Nino chanted, watching Adrien play in anticipation. "No, fuck—HEAL YOURSELF DAMMIT!"

"I'm trying, but she won't stop attacking!" Adrien said frustratedly. The game had been close at first, but Marinette was pulling ahead. Her strategy was genius, and she smirked at how well it was working. Being Ladybug had its perks, meaning quick-thinking and strategy was something she had practically mastered.

"You're running out of time!" Alya yelled at Adrien, who had traitorously abandoned her support for Marinette after she had mercilessly defeated her a few levels before.

Adrien's character froze, falling to the ground in a heap as the music changed in the game. Marinette's character was celebrating, and a message blaring GAME OVER appeared on the screen.

"You just got _wrecked!_ " Marinette declared, jumping up from her seat and raising her hands in the air.

Adrien just groaned and threw his controller onto the ground. "Congrats, Mari," he admitted with a weak smile. He wrung his right hand, as if it seemed to be in pain. His attempt had been valiant—Marinette would give him that much.

Alya's phone buzzed and beeped loudly. She picked it up and looked at the screen, her eyes widening. "There's an Akuma attack not too far from here. I've gotta go!"

Marinette's mood was suddenly destroyed. She had been having so much fun, too, but of course that happiness was short-lived. She sourly thought of an excuse to explain her impending absence.

"I have to go downstairs and ask my parents about something. It might take a while," she sighed.

"And I have to go get some fresh air. All that playing has my eyes sore," Adrien said.

"You're all just _leaving_? Hang on, Alya, I'm coming with you," Nino said quickly.

* * *

Chat's heart was racing as he approached the scene of the Akuma attack. He was right by the Seine in an area with large crates of shipment placed along the river. He had heard crashing noises come from over here, but he couldn't see the Akuma villain just yet. But that was not his concern—he was looking for Ladybug.

He hid behind a column of crates, looking left and right for a sign of his nemesis. _This is it_ , he thought. Gabriel's deadline was only a week away. He had to give this fight all he had, or else this sleepover with his friends might very well be his last. No longer would he be able to escape his room at night to visit Marinette—his father would take away his ring as well.

"Here, kitty kitty! Don't tell me you're _hiding_ instead of fighting!" A voice called out mockingly.

Chat stepped away from behind the crates, giving Ladybug the most pretentious smirk he could muster. "Hide? From _you_? My Lady, that would mean I'm _afraid_ of you."

"Well, you should be. After all, I always win," she said smugly.

Genuine anger flared up inside of Chat's chest. He wanted to end this. He wanted to defeat her once and for all, just to know—for once, just this once!—what it felt like to win. She had caused him so much pain, so much humiliation.

He needed to do this. For his mother, for his freedom, and above all, for _Marinette_. Then, and only then, would the threat of never seeing her again go away. The fear of losing the one girl who gave him hope for his bleak future was far too much.

"I don't think you'll be so lucky this time around," Chat said coldly. "I've held back on you for too long. But not anymore. You see, Ladybug, this time I've got something to fight for. And if I were you, I'd be really, _really_ scared."

Chat glared at Ladybug with an intensity that he didn't know he was capable of. He might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn that a brief moment of fear had flickered across her face.

"I'm not afraid of you. And I never will be," she declared defiantly, her eyes narrowed in hatred. "You're a sore, pathetic loser and you always will be."

Chat knew that the fight had begun. He heard monstrous screeches coming from behind, meaning that the Akuma villain was near. Ladybug gasped as she looked towards it, but Chat had no time to check. He activated his cataclysm and charged towards her, deciding that today was finally the day that he would succeed.

* * *

Ladybug was running alongside the Seine, maneuvering around the shipment crates as Chat was chasing after her. She stood little chance against him while his powers were activated, so she needed to find a way for him to waste it on something other than herself.

She made a sharp turn towards her left and ran as fast as she possibly could. Ladybug found a gap between two large crates, just barely big enough for her to squeeze herself into. She leaned against the crate, her chosen hiding place, and clenched her yo-yo tightly in case she needed to defend herself.

Chat was more determined than ever, and Ladybug had to admit, it was terrifying. He had always seemed so casual about taking her miraculous up until this point, which made sense considering that he was being forced to do this. (Something she had made him unwittingly admit to her as Marinette.) But right now, something had changed. He was far more menacing than usual.

"Where are you, Bugaboo?" he purred, edges of malice roughening his voice and the cataclysm hissing and crackling in his hand.

If it weren't for Ladybug's self-preservation, Ladybug would have snorted in disbelief at his growing list of infuriating and belittling pet-names he had created for her.

Ladybug tried to think of a plan, but it was awfully difficult when the only thing she could hear over her pounding heart was the light scrape of Chat Noir's boots padding closer. She bit her tongue and stifled her breathing as Chat passed her hiding spot, wondering how she could stifle her pulse too.

He was too close. She gave an involuntary gasp as he walked past her hiding spot, and that was all it took. Chat doubled back and looked straight at her, his lips curling into a dreadful smile. Ladybug could feel her heart stop in fear.

"Checkmate," he said, and with his touch the two crates that she was wedged in-between were reduced to a pile of ash.

His cataclysm now gone, Chat held her firmly in his grasp. Ladybug could hear the noise of falling crates a distance away, knowing that the Akuma was starting to create havoc. There was little she could do now that Chat was refusing to let go of her.

Chat's fingers dug into her shoulders while she tried to kick and unleash herself. Chat pushed her against a crate while Ladybug was astonished at his newfound strength. Her heart was racing, and for the first time in ages, she was scared. What would Chat do to her this time? He was very angry, and his determination was frightening.

"De-transform this instant," Chat demanded calmly. "Or I swear, I won't show any mercy."

In spite of her paralyzing fear, Ladybug gave him a hollow, mocking laugh. "It's not like you're capable of mercy in the first place," she said.

He grabbed her once more and pushed her violently against the crate. Ladybug was shocked at the pain she felt in her head, which he had so forcefully hit against the hard surface. This was escalating quickly, and Ladybug was running out of ideas. The Akuma was probably getting out of control by now and she needed to act fast.

"Don't test my limits. We'll both regret it," he said darkly. Ladybug stared into his eyes. They were so green, and so familiar. If only they weren't reflecting how much he wanted to possibly kill her. (He was right, after all. Right now, Ladybug had no idea how far Chat was willing to go when it came to hurting her.)

Except, out of nowhere, something whacked Chat on the back of his head. Unconscious, Chat fell to the ground while Ladybug stared in shock at the person responsible. She would never have guessed that it would be her best friend.

"Go deal with the Akuma, Ladybug! We'll take care of Chat," Alya said, a crowbar in her hand with Nino standing in awe at her side. He gaped at Ladybug for a moment and then at the collapsed form of Chat Noir right at his feet.

"I can't thank you enough," Ladybug said earnestly, wanting to hug her friend right then. However, she had little time. She ran off towards the Akuma villain, Chat Noir now safely out of her way.

* * *

As Chat opened his eyes, he felt like his head was pounding. The light was blinding and he was in pain, mostly at the back of his head. He sat up and was shocked to see Alya and Nino standing around him.

"Shit, he's awake!" Nino said, holding a crowbar in his hand as he was poised to use it again

"Don't knock him out yet," Alya said, glaring at Chat. "I have questions." She had her phone out, apparently recording this whole ordeal. Chat panicked as he realized that he had already used his cataclysm and did not have that much time left until he de-transformed.

"So, Chat Noir, what are your motives? What is your true identity?" Alya demanded.

Chat just groaned in pain, turning onto his side as he ignored Alya's question. Nino stiffened in panic at his movement.

"Answer me, you menace!" she repeated.

"It's none of your business," Chat snapped. "As if I'd actually tell you." Oh, the irony of his two friends ambushing him…

Alya took the crowbar from Nino and jabbed it into Chat's stomach. "We'll see about that. If my estimates are correct, I'd say you have about twenty minutes until you have to de-transform. Then I'll find out who you are, expose you to the world, and have you locked up in no time!" she looked gleeful at the prospect while Chat just felt sick.

"That will never happen," Chat said defiantly. He pushed the crowbar off of him and tried to get up, but Alya and Nino were blocking him.

"If you don't let me go, I will snap both of your necks," Chat threatened calmly. He was lying, of course, since had absolutely no intention of hurting his friends. But a little fear never hurt anyone.

Before they could react, the sound of crates crashing to the ground filled the air. Chat could see Ladybug running towards them, the Akuma villain following close behind. The villain looked like a mix between a tree and a woman. She had branches growing out of her head and branches for arms. Roots trailed behind her as she chased after Ladybug. Realizing that everyone was distracted, Chat got up quickly to try and escape. He decided to wait until Ladybug defeated the Akuma, then ambush her when she least expected it. By then she would be running out of time before she de-transformed, and he would be ready.

He was running alongside the river when the Akuma villain whacked him with a large, heavy branch. The sheer force of the attack was enough to send him flying into the Seine with a loud _splash._

Panic suddenly arose as he landed underwater, the coldness engulfing him quickly. The fall weather was cold enough, but the water itself was _freezing_. It didn't take long for Chat to remember that he couldn't swim.

He was _sinking_.

His claws tore at the water a he fought for his life, thrashing and flailing to stay afloat. Water poured into his nose and his mouth, choking him while he was already struggling for air. His limbs struggled helplessly as the water kept pushing him down.

Somehow he managed to get his head above water just for a moment, long enough to call out for help. "Lady—!" he managed to sputter out, but he knew it was useless. A pink light engulfed the sky, signaling the defeat of the Akuma.

His muscles were beginning to get sore from thrashing. Chat couldn't tell if she had heard him or even seen his predicament. And even if she did, why would she help him? If anything, him drowning would only make her life easier.

"Help!" he shouted out once more, coughing and sputtering, starting to feel the water burn his chest. He had momentarily floated towards the surface just when she turned to look at him. Alya and Nino had seen him too.

Chat's ring began to beep. At this point, screw his identity. Screw his father, screw his plan, all he wanted was simply to _live_. He wanted to breathe again, to savor the air in his lungs just once more…

His limbs had given up. Chat had exhausted all of his energy, and he fell further below the surface. He was falling slowly, feeling heavier with every second. His vision blurred as he sunk lower into the abyss, clinging to the minuscule hope that Ladybug, despite all odds, might save him from death.

His lungs felt like they were filled acid. His body desperately demanded air, but he knew there would be no relief. Panic turned into calm as his eyes drooped to a close.

In what seemed to be his last moments, Adrien wondered if anyone would care about his death. Ladybug would find out who he really was, and so would his friends. How would they react once Chat Noir's body became that of Adrien Agreste's? Would his father care that his pawn was dead? Would his mother ever find out that her only son had drowned in a complex plot to bring her back? And what about his wonderful, sweet Marinette?

He would never know.

* * *

Ladybug hadn't thought twice when she saw Chat Noir flailing in the water. At first she was confused, wondering why he hadn't swum to shore yet. Then it dawned on her—he was _drowning!_

Fueled by adrenaline and even a bit of fear, she ran towards the river and jumped in, swimming towards her nemesis in order to save him from a watery, painful death. There was nothing else on her mind other than the clear objective of saving Chat.

She swum towards him, ignoring the coldness that surrounded her. Chat was already underwater, sinking slowly after his body had already given up and he was most likely unconscious. She held her breath and went underwater, grabbing hold of his arm. After securing him onto herself, she swum towards the surface and towards the shore.

Ladybug placed him onto the shore, panickedly realizing that his eyes were closed and he was completely still. She reached towards his neck and checked for a pulse, and she was alarmed to feel that there wasn't one. She tried not to panic, telling herself that there was still hope.

"Crap…" Ladybug muttered, trying to remember how to do CPR. She had learned it in class a year ago, but she was struggling to remember. Chat's life depended on it.

Ladybug placed the palm of her left hand onto the center of his chest, then placed her right hand over her left. She pushed straight down, compressing his chest to a steady rhythm. She waited desperately for any sign of movement, but there was none.

While continuing the compressions, it occurred to Ladybug that it wasn't working. Not knowing what else she could possibly do, she realized that the only option left was to perform a mouth-to-mouth.

In any other circumstance, she would have been disgusted. But this was no time for her to be a child—Ladybug bent down and tilted Chat's chin upwards. She plugged his nose and covered his mouth with her own, breathing deeply and noticing his chest rise. She breathed into his mouth once more. Miraculously, his eyes fluttered open.

Ladybug quickly separated from him as he began to cough, sitting up. Chat continued to cough, and the water that was blocking his airway came out his mouth.

Chat suddenly looked at her, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Ladybug…" he said weakly, his voice hoarse. "You...saved me…"

Ladybug didn't respond. Now that he okay, she wasn't sure what to say. "Well, I couldn't just let you die," she reasoned, biting her lip.

"But you could have…" he said, shamefully averting his eyes from her face. "You _should_ have…"

"Unlike you, I'm a superhero. It's my job to save people," she answered curtly, getting up.

His ring was beeping. Chat glanced at it in panic, then at Ladybug. She had never seen him so vulnerable before, or with so much humility.

Chat got on his feet slowly, faltering a little as he did. He was soaked from head to toe, as was she. He sniffled slightly before gazing into her eyes with sincerity.

"I can't possibly thank you enough," Chat said weakly. "Thank you…"

"Consider us even," Ladybug said. She meant it.

"Even?" he questioned. "I've caused you nothing but pain…"

"Don't worry about it," Ladybug said, turning away. Now she didn't feel indebted towards Chat for saving her in that alleyway all those weeks ago. He had saved her life, and she had saved his.

Chat stared for another moment. Neither of them had anything else to say. Ladybug wasn't facing him, but she could hear his footsteps running away.


	11. There's a Storm on the Horizon

Adrien didn't know what to do.

He had almost _died_ , he was soaking wet, and his friends were expecting him shortly. Shivering, coughing, and still mentally in shock, he found a Leroy Merlin store and headed inside, knowing that he would find the bathroom interior section and that there would be towels. People stared at him as he walked past, given the state of his clothes and his hair, but Adrien couldn't care less.

He found a stack of towels on the shelf and slipped into a men's bathroom. There were no stalls, just a singular, dimly-lit bathroom. He locked the door and gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He certainly _looked_ like he had just almost died. If it weren't for Ladybug, he would be nothing but an empty shell of a person lying at the bottom of the Seine at this very moment.

Adrien tried to breathe in and out, attempting to calm himself down and feel _normal_ again. His stomach was churning and his heart was racing, but at least it was _beating_ , he thought.

The light flickered and he saw Plagg floating beside him. It was a rare sight, but Plagg genuinely looked concerned.

"You okay, kid?" Plagg asked, his raspy voice sounding softer than usual.

"No," Adrien managed to say, feeling his hands trembling. His entire body was shaking slightly and his breaths became shorter and quicker. Adrien wondered if he was about to have a panic attack—it certainly seemed that way.

"Listen, you're fine. You're safe now," Plagg reminded him. Adrien tried to cling to those words, trying to forget the traumatic events that had occurred shortly before. He exhaled deeply one more time before picking up a towel and ruffling his hair with it. He slowly began to dry himself off.

Adrien's phone buzzed in his pocket, still completely dry along with his civilian clothes due to the fact that he had been transformed. It was only Adrien _himself_ that was wet, because his dumb suit wasn't nearly as waterproof as he thought it was.

Adrien checked his phone and saw that it was his father. It wasn't often that Adrien felt enraged, but he had never hated his father more than in this moment. It wasn't his stupid, selfish deadlines, it wasn't his constant disapproval and lack of concern for his own son, or even his 'genius' plan of forcing him into a life of crime—no, it was the fact that _this Akuma had nearly gotten him killed._

He blocked his father's number without a second thought along with the Gorilla's and Nathalie's, which he would have resorted to after a while. Adrien didn't care if he was breaking a million of his father's rules, because he was the last person Adrien wanted to talk to right now. His father had most likely found out about what happened by now, and Adrien hoped that he felt as guilty as possible.

* * *

Adrien had managed to calm himself down considerably by the time he climbed the ladder that led to Marinette's room. He could already hear a commotion going on. Alya was showing Marinette a video on her phone, and she was practically shouting during her commentary.

"—She just _leaps_ in without a second thought! Just like that! And here, watch—she's gonna do CPR on him, and he survives. And then they just awkwardly talk to each each other and leave, though you can't hear what they're saying at all," Alya explained breathlessly.

Adrien suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he realized what they were talking about. He didn't want to relive this anymore. He just wanted to forget. And to make matters worse, Alya seemed to have recorded the whole thing.

"Adrien! Dude, you just missed it—did you hear about what happened?" Nino asked as soon as Adrien was back.

"Yeah," Adrien responded, careful not to project any sort of emotion into his words. "I was outside. Of course I heard."

"Where were you?" Marinette asked.

"I just...went into a few stores. I needed to clear my head. Father mentioned something to me and I was upset, but it's fine now." Adrien was surprised at how believable his lies kept becoming. Then he noticed how damp Marinette's hair was. "Why is your hair wet?" he asked, trying to detract from questions about himself.,

"Because she was taking a _shower_ ," Alya snickered. "Can you believe it? I mean, who decides to take a shower when there's a literal Chat Noir versus Ladybug showdown happening just a few blocks away? Nino and I went to go see. But that rescue—it was _epic_. Right Nino?"

"Yeah, it was. I mean, it's awesome how Ladybug just saved Chat Noir like that even though they hate each other. She's even more heroic than I thought she was," Nino said.

Adrien felt even more humiliated. But knowing Alya, she had most certainly done what he was worried about.

"Alya, did you upload that video onto the Ladyblog?" Adrien asked nonchalantly. He didn't even know why he bothered to ask. _Of course_ she did. Chances were that by tomorrow this would even make it to national news, and the Ladyblog would be getting more hits than ever before.

"I did, do you want to see it?" Alya responded.

"No," Adrien said simply, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He felt sick. Not only was it bad enough that he had almost died, which was undisputably the most terrifying thing had ever experienced in his life, but the whole word could now sit back and watch him as he suffered, instead focusing on how selfless and heroic Ladybug was. By tomorrow, _everyone_ will have seen it. To make matters worse, he couldn't even ask Alya to take it down without raising suspicion or making it sound like he was defending the most hated person in Paris.

Feeling miserable and experiencing a dull ache throughout his entire body, Adrien sat down next to Marinette on the small pink couch and instinctively leaned his head onto her shoulder. She was so warm. And so perfect. But once again, the guilt was consuming him deep from the inside. Intangible voices shouted at him from within his mind, accusing him of being a liar and someone undeserving of her love.

* * *

After a long evening of watching movies, cracking jokes, playing video games and intense games of "would you rather," the four friends were getting ready for bed. Marinette couldn't help but notice that Adrien seemed oddly quiet for the remainder of the day. She remembered him mentioning something about his Dad earlier today, so Marinette figured that this was probably the case. Gabriel had a way of being a storm cloud in Adrien's life.

Marinette tried her best to cheer him up, but she could tell it wasn't working. He still smiled and laughed, but Marinette had a feeling that it was all fake. Adrien was a model, after all, he could fake his emotions better than anyone.

She also knew better than anyone what Adrien's fake modeling smile looked like, mostly because she used to shamelessly stalk his work last year. Marinette had seen pictures from practically every photoshoot he had ever been in. But as she got to know him, Marinette found out what his real smile looked like. It was goofy and wider and much more adorable.

And right now, she was seeing nothing other than the fake modeling smile. It was frustrating.

Adrien was wearing Nino's pajamas and kept thanking him over and over again for letting him borrow his clothes. He had thanked him so much to the point where Nino got annoyed and told him to shut up.

As everyone was taking turns using the bathroom and shuffling around to get things from their bags (minus Adrien, who just so happened not to bring one,) Marinette heard the trap door open. Sabine entered the room with a very serious expression on her face.

Adrien, Nino, Alya and Marinette watched the short but nonetheless intimidating woman in anticipation. Her gaze was even more threatening towards the boys.

"It seems you're all getting ready for bed," Sabine began. "Now, onto sleeping arrangements: I understand that this is a mixed-gender sleepover. And while I trust all of you to behave yourselves, there are certain measures I would like to be taken. Alya, you will get to sleep in Marinette's bunk. Marinette, you will sleep on the couch. The boys will sleep on the floor. Every one of you is to remain in your designated sleeping area. Understand?" Sabine demanded.

Marinette was mortified. She she should have expected her mother to do something like this, such as making a big deal out of sleeping arrangements. The other three nodded in agreement, though the discomfort was still evident on their faces.

Sabine then smiled sweetly. "Glad that's sorted! Good night lovelies!"

After she was gone, Marinette didn't waste a second to apologize. "I'm so sorry about that guys, my mom is just...well, you know," she tried to explain.

Nino laughed. "Don't sweat it, my mom is the same."

As instructed, they each settled into their designated spots. Marinette turned off the lights before laying down on her couch, then pulled a blanket over herself. She could see a light coming from her own bed, chuckling slightly as she realized that Alya was probably on her phone. Just beside her couch was Adrien, who was in a comfortably warm sleeping bag on the floor. Marinette's house never had a shortage of sleeping bags—her cousins from China and southern France visited often.

A few minutes later she heard the trap door open with a slow _creak,_ indicating that Sabine was most likely checking in on them. Marinette and the others feigned sleep—well, Nino not so much. She could hear his light but authentic snores.

Marinette stared at the ceiling of her room, her eyes drifting towards the dark outline of the trap door that led to her balcony. She panicked a little as she thought about the potential of a visit from Chat Noir. Her friends would definitely hear, and there was no way she could explain why someone—especially Chat Noir— was knocking on her trap door at night.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have to see him or talk to him tonight. And although she hated herself for admitting it, a small part of her wondered if he was feeling okay after nearly drowning today. 

* * *

Adrien woke up with a sudden jolt. He blinked confusedly for a couple of moments, not knowing why it wasn't morning and why he was on the floor of a strange and remarkably pink bedroom. Then he suddenly remembered what he was doing here.

His nightmare was already starting to fade away. But he did remember the key elements—he was drowning again. There was water everywhere. He was in an enclosed room filled with water, and there was a gushing waterfall pouring in from the ceiling. There was no escape, and Ladybug had been watching him, comfortably perched atop a ledge near the ceiling. She didn't listen to his desperate pleas for help and stared at him blankly as he struggled.

He sighed in frustration, angry at himself for still being so mentally shaken after what had happened. Adrien thought he was stronger than this. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but he suddenly felt too awake.

Adrien's stomach grumbled. Well, this was inconvenient. Waking up in the middle of the night for a midnight snack was never an issue when he was at home, but he certainly couldn't just get up and raid Marinette's kitchen like that.

He heard Marinette turn onto her side and adjust her blanket. Adrien sat up slowly, peering over at her and seeing that she was still very much awake.

"Marinette," he whispered as quietly as he could. Adrien was pretty sure that Nino and Alya were still asleep.

Marinette sat up slightly and turned towards him. "You're awake?" she whispered back.

"I am now," he responded, still barely speaking above a whisper.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. Adrien wondered if she could read minds, because this question filled him with an immense amount of relief.

"Yeah."

Marinette got up slowly from the couch, then motioned for Adrien to follow her. He got up as well, trying to make as little noise as possible. She carefully pulled open the trapdoor so that it wouldn't make any noise, and they both climbed down. She led him towards the kitchen, and Adrien's stomach grumbled once more.

"Are you sure your parents won't hear us?" Adrien asked quietly.

"No, it's fine, their bedroom is nowhere near the kitchen," Marinette responded, no longer whispering and talking at a more normal volume. "Cookies and milk?"

"I would love that," he responded, rubbing his temples. He was suddenly aware that his hair probably looked like a mess. Marinette, on the other hand, still looked beautiful, and he didn't think it was fair.

Marinette poured them both a glass of milk and opened a bag of cookies that her parents had made themselves. Adrien thought they tasted better than any cookies he could ever find at the grocery store.

They both sat down across from each other at the countertop in the middle of the kitchen. Marinette had opened the kitchen light but dimmed it just enough for them to see and not attract attention.

"Why were you still awake?" Adrien asked, taking a bite of his cookie.

"I wasn't awake the whole night," Marinette admitted. "I had a nightmare so I woke up. Couldn't go back to sleep, then I got hungry."

"Same with me," Adrien said.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while until Marinette spoke up. "Are you feeling okay? You seemed a little off today. Well, I mean, now that would be yesterday…"

"I'm fine," Adrien lied. "Just...stuff with my dad. Nothing unusual." At least that part was true."I'm sorry to hear that," Marinette said sincerely. She took a sip of her milk. "If it makes you feel any better, my parents aren't very happy with me either. My grades suck."

"But you're so smart," Adrien responded with surprise. "How can that be?"

"I just have a lot on my mind," she said, biting her lip slightly.

"I can relate, Princess," Adrien said with a light sigh. Then he froze at the sudden realization of what he had just said. Had he really just…?

Marinette stared at him with her eyes wide. Adrien quickly scrambled in his mind to fix the damage. _How_ could he have let that slip? Granted, he was tired but he was also _stupid_.

"Oh, uh—sorry, do you not like that? I won't call you that if you don't want me to…" Adrien explained quickly. "I mean, lots of people call their girlfriends that and I just...I don't know…"

Marinette's expression softened a little. "It's fine, Adrien, I don't mind," she smiled.

 _That's a lie, you hate it when I call you that_ , Adrien's inner Chat thought with a scowl.

"So…" Marinette said, tapping on her now empty glass of milk and biting her lip. She then glanced at Adrien and seemed to hesitate.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Adrien said with a raised eyebrow. There was clearly something on her mind.

"Well, not exactly...I mean, I _do_ want to tell you things...but there's something I want to ask you first," Marinette said, sighing.

"Shoot," Adrien responded.

"Okay," Marinette said, pausing before speaking again. "This might sound weird and out of the blue...but do you remember the video Alya showed us this afternoon?"

"Of course," Adrien said flatly, trying not to express his feelings regarding that particular event.

"Do you think Ladybug did the right thing?" she asked.

Adrien didn't respond. He simply stared at the countertop, then looked back at Marinette. The guilt was eating away at him once more.

"Yes," he responded simply.

"I think so too," Marinette said, much to Adrien's relief. "He might be awful in every way possible, but he didn't deserve to die." Adrien didn't know how he might have handled it if Marinette had even subtly suggested that Chat Noir deserved to die. Not that he expected her to, anyway, but Adrien was sure there were plenty of Parisians who would have felt indifferent and perhaps even relieved if he had.

"I mean...maybe there's more to him than people think…" Marinette reasoned. "There's no arguing the fact that he's a menace and criminal, but he's _got_ to have a reason for what he does. For all we know, someone could be forcing him to do bad things…"

Adrien felt a sudden surge of hope. After all this time feeling insecure about Marinette's hatred towards Chat, he was overjoyed that Marinette was rethinking her feelings. Perhaps his near-death experience had elicited some pity within her.

"Are you _really_ defending public enemy number one?" Adrien asked slyly. "May I ask why?"

Marinette stared at the countertop, avoiding his gaze. Then she sighed. "Look, Adrien, there's something I need to tell you. Something...I haven't told anyone."

Adrien's heart picked up pace. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"I'm...kind of _acquainted_ with Chat Noir. He visits me at night sometimes, and I've spent some time with him, just talking."

Adrien felt nervous and guilty all at the same time. "Wow, Marinette, I didn't expect you to have such a questionable taste in friends," he responded, feeling absolutely terrible. Oh, if only she knew…

"He's not my _friend_ ," Marinette said quickly. "Honestly, I only put up with him at first because I wanted to see if I could find out enough information about him to discover who he really is. I just wanted to help the city...and I thought maybe, if I could trick him somehow, I could get him arrested…"

Adrien felt betrayed. He had suspected Marinette's intentions at the beginning—he wasn't _stupid_ , after all—but he had genuinely began to think that Marinette was warming up to Chat. He didn't know how to feel about this.

"I mean, that's what I intended at first, but then I got to know him," she continued. "And I thought that maybe I could convince him to change his ways instead."

"I don't think he ever would, at least not until he gets what he wants," Adrien said simply. This conversation was getting too ironic and too guilt-ridden for him to handle.

"That makes sense," Marinette said. "I just...I feel bad. Drowning is so traumatic. And now everybody on the internet is going to see it happen, and that just doesn't seem fair or right. But somehow I feel like I'm not _allowed_ to feel bad for him, you know?'

Adrien had never felt more affectionate towards Marinette than right now. He just wanted to wrap her up into a big, warm hug and sob into her shoulder because she _understood_. Nobody cared about Chat Noir or how he felt about all of this except for her. Because that's who Marinette was—somehow, despite all odds, she had managed to set aside her dislike for Chat and showed sympathy anyway. He was more grateful than she would ever know.

"You're amazing, Marinette," Adrien said, watching as she looked taken aback. "I've never met anyone who cares as much as you do."

She blushed. "Thanks, I guess. I don't know what else to say that."

"You don't have to say anything else, I just wanted to let you know," Adrien said, standing up. "And I know it's the middle of the night, but could I have some cheese?"

"Cheese?" Marinette said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, camembert, if you have it," Adrien said, cursing at Plagg in his head.

"We don't have camembert, but I think we might have some brie cheese," Marinette said. "Hold on, I'll go get it." She headed off towards the other kitchen, the one used exclusively for the bakery.

* * *

Marinette stepped into the bakery kitchen, closing the door behind her as she opened the lights. Adrien had made a very strange request, but she knew he loved cheese. For all she knew, perhaps eating cheese late at night was just a weird quirk of his.

Tikki flew out from the pocket of her pajamas, looking very frantic. Marinette was annoyed at the fact that she had flown into her pocket the moment she realized that she and Adrien were going to be alone together. Tikki had barely slept and was on high alert, mostly because of the fact that Adrien was around.

"Tikki, why did you follow me downstairs?" Marinette said, frowning at the fairy. "I know you don't like Adrien, but this is ridiculous!"

"Cheese," Tikki squeaked breathlessly. "He asked for camembert, didn't he? _Of course_ he asked for camembert! I knew it! I could practically _smell_ it coming off of him! And let me tell you, I could recognize that smell anywhere…"

"Why are you freaking out so much?" Marinette said, searching through the fridge, getting continuously more annoyed by Tikki's strange behavior whenever it came to Adrien. "Maybe you're just hungry. I'll get you some more cookies."

"No!" Tikki said. "I...oh, Marinette, if only I could tell you! But there's so many rules I have to live by…"

"What are you trying to say, Tikki? So you don't like him because of the way he _smells_?" Marinette asked, her eyes narrowed.

"No," Tikki said, her voice conveying pity towards Marinette. "I don't like him because he's going to break your heart."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the really late update! November has been a really rough month...it's been hard for me to keep it together to be honest. Life sucks but you just roll with it, you know? Anyway, don't forget to leave a comment and a kudo! I can't handle the irony and the tension any longer, so the reveal will happen in the chapter after the next. I'm going to try to update quickly so you won't have to wait as long. Thanks for reading! :)

-Y


	12. Chat's Out of the Bag

Marinette had been busy for the remainder of the week, frantically working on an important dress design. In a few days, Francois Dupont was hosting its annual fundraising dance, an event that was meant to raise money for a local homeless shelter. As class representative, Marinette was practically required to attend, and she took this as a perfect opportunity to put her skills to use.

Not to mention, this would be her first dance with a date. Marinette was subconsciously very determined to impress Adrien.

"You've been working on that for hours, take a break," Tikki suggested, watching Marinette as she worked tirelessly.

"I can't," Marinette said dismissively. "I haven't even begun sewing! I'm so behind and I only have a few days left!"

Marinette had indeed been working on the dress for a long time. She hadn't wasted a second even after returning home that Friday afternoon. The sky was showing its first signs of evening, turning bright orange with streaks of pink and purple.

Her hand cramped, having spent such a long time in the same position. Marinette sighed, then finally set aside her pencil.

"Alright, so I guess I'm a bit tired after all," Marinette admitted. "It's been a while since I've been on patrol anyway…" she said, gazing out her window. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stretch her legs a little bit before going back to work.

* * *

Ladybug was jumping across the rooftops, enjoying the unusually warm November weather. As the sky grew darker, the lights began to illuminate the city and she loved the view. She stopped at her favorite rooftop, ignoring the memory of the last time she was here—one that involved a particularly nasty feline.

She glanced quickly around her surroundings to make sure that Chat Noir wasn't here. Ladybug had been hesitant to come back ever since she found out that he frequented this rooftop as well.

Although it seemed, despite being "Lady Luck," she wasn't quite as fortunate as she thought she was.

Chat Noir came out of nowhere, slamming his claws into her back and shoving her down onto the ground. His body pressing down onto her, he hissed in her ear "Looks like I caught myself a little bug."

"What the— _get off me!_ Where did you even come from?" Ladybug shrieked, trying to shake him off of herself despite his stubborn refusal to let go.

"I've been hiding here night after night, waiting for you to show up," Chat whispered into her ear. She moved her face towards him and saw that he was grinning widely, proud that his efforts had paid off.

She really was dumb. Ladybug cursed at her own stupidity, because what was she even thinking, coming back to a location that Chat Noir knew she often visited?

"You never give it a rest, do you," Ladybug grumbled, already tired from trying to fight off the weight of the boy on top of her back.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "This is war, Ladybug; there's no rest for the wicked."

Ladybug smirked. "So you admit you're the wicked one then?"

Chat scoffed. "I've known it since day one. But that's irrelevant; pretty soon it'll all be over."

"And what do you mean by that?" Ladybug asked, stalling him while her mind flew into motion, trying to plan an escape from her situation. She certainly was strong, but so was Chat. Unfortunately, their super powers made them pretty much equal in strength.

"I'm not going to let you go. You can struggle, whine, and cry all you want, but until you de-transform or when your kwami inevitably runs out of energy, you're stuck here. And when either of those things happen, your miraculous will be mine," Chat declared, the satisfaction evident in his tone.

"You'll be here for hours," Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. Her stomach was already sore from being stuck in this position. "I haven't used my lucky charm, so my kwami will take three times as long to run out of energy."

"As if I care," Chat responded with a haughty sigh. "I've got nothing but time."

"Yeah, well, unlike you I have a life outside my suit and things to do," Ladybug answered, the frustration edging into her voice. She was still thinking about the dress she had to make, not to mention how concerned her parents would be if she was missing for too long.

"Tragic," Chat said sarcastically. Ladybug wanted to punch him in the face.

"Letting me go would be the _least_ you could do after I literally saved your life a few days ago," Ladybug reminded him in a feeble attempt at guilt-tripping. Unfortunately, a tactic like that only worked on people with a sense of humility.

Chat sighed. "Oh _please_ , don't hang that over my head. Trust me, none of this is personal. You just happen to be in possession of something that I need."

"Why do you even need my earrings?" Ladybug asked frustratedly.

"Hawkmoth's orders," Chat responded simply.

"No, but _why_ ," she pressed on. "Why does Hawkmoth need you to get them from me?"

"It's none of your _goddamn business,_ Ladybug!" Chat snapped back angrily.

That seemed to have struck a nerve, Ladybug thought.

She was just about to talk back to him again when Chat suddenly let out a gasp of pain. He fell to his side, freeing Ladybug from his grasp.

Ladybug quickly stood up, alarmed at what could have caused this. Chat was laying on the ground of the rooftop, his breaths slowing and his eyes drooping as if he was about to pass out.

Someone had shot a dart—a tranquilizing needle—straight into his neck with flawless aim.

Before Ladybug could react, she let out a gasp as well when she felt something very thin yet sharp dig into her neck. The sedative was quickly coming into effect, since she immediately felt drowsy.

The world around her began to blur, but she could still make out four dark figures appearing around her and Chat. Two of them picked up Chat while the other two lifted her off the ground.

Her mind felt too numb and confused to panic, so she simply let them. Pretty soon her eyes drooped to a close as well, and everything went dark.

* * *

When Chat Noir finally awoke, he found himself lying on a cold cement floor. His head was pounding and his body felt stiff. Chat sat up, but was only barely able to since he quickly realized that his hands were chained to the wall behind him. Chat blinked a few times and observed his surroundings.

He was in a cell. There was a small white light on the opposite wall, just barely illuminating where he was. Ladybug was still passed out in front of him, and she was also chained to the wall across from him.

Chat looked past the iron rods that barred them both in the cell, seeing that the cell itself was in a large warehouse. He could see a skylight at the top, but it showed only darkness. He vaguely remembered that the last time he had been awake, it was evening. How long had he been unconscious to the point where it was now nighttime?

Ladybug began to stir, her eyes blinking tiredly as she too began to process where she was. Then she abruptly sat up, wide-eyed and glancing at her surroundings.

"What—where—" Ladybug began, the panic rising in her voice as she looked at him for answers.

"Shhh," Chat simply responded, his cat ears perking upwards as he began to faintly detect voices beyond the cell. Most likely the people who had kidnapped them.

"Don't shush me," Ladybug snapped.

"I said shhh!" Chat repeated, but decided to explain this time. "I hear someone," he whispered.

This shut her up quickly. They both sat in silence as Chat tried to strain all four of his ears to hear the voices that were indeed very far away, probably at the other end of the warehouse.

"—They've only got a few minutes," was the only voice Chat was able to understand. After that the voices had stopped, perhaps too far away for him to hear at this point.

Chat looked at Ladybug once more, a serious expression on his face. "I heard someone say 'they've only got a few minutes.'"

Ladybug stared at him, a similar grave expression on her face. "A few minutes? What's that supposed to mean?"

As if on cue, Ladybug's earrings and Chat's ring beeped for the first time.

"Oh," Chat said expressionlessly, staring at his ring. There were only three paw-fingers left.

"Have we been unconscious for that long!?" Ladybug whispered panickedly.

"Guess so," Chat sighed. They had probably been here for at least six hours if their kwamis were just now running out of energy without any actual use of their special super powers.

"No. This isn't going to happen," Ladybug said determinedly. "We're going to get out of here and we're going to work together. Use your cataclysm on the bars," she instructed.

"I'm a little chained up here," Chat said defeatedly, showing her his metal cuffs for effect.

"Fine, then use it on the chains!"

"Then what? I'll just run out of energy faster, and you'll still be chained up and the bars will still be there!" he argued.

"Then just—" Ladybug began, but then gave up. She closed her eyes, then defeatedly leaned her head against the wall.

"It's inevitable, isn't it," Chat said, as if finally addressing what they both refused to say out loud.

Ladybug didn't answer. Her eyes were closed and she laid her head against the wall.

 _Beep beep_. Only two to go.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm really sexy behind this mask," Chat said, smiling crookedly at his feeble attempt to lighten the air. His heart was beating wildly.

This finally caused Ladybug to react. She opened her eyes and glared at him. " _Really_? Do you really think this is appropriate right now?"

"Course it is. Better than denial," he shrugged. "And don't complain, I'm being relatively nice to you right now."

"Please," Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. "It's your fault we're even in this mess."

"Oh _come on!_ How do you manage to blame me for everything?"

"Maybe if you hadn't, I don't know, _pinned me to the ground_ on that rooftop, we wouldn't have been such easy targets!"

"It's _your_ fault you were such an easy target for _me!_ " Chat retorted.

"So it's _my_ fault you succeeded in what you had planned to do?" Ladybug countered.

"Just shut up."

" _You_ shut up!"

 _Beep beep._ One more to go.

They sat in a brief moment of silence, until Chat found himself chuckling.

"What?" Ladybug demanded.

"It's just," Chat laughed. "We sound like an old married couple."

"Ew," Ladybug responded instinctively. "I feel bad for the poor soul who ends up ever marrying you."

"Puh- _lease_ LB, you act like everyone is _so_ repulsed by me. Besides, my girlfriend seems to like me," Chat said smugly.

"That poor girl," Ladybug said shaking her head. "Does she know she's dating Paris' most hated super villain?"

"Of course not," Chat responded dismissively, but she had succeeded in arising some guilt. Poor Marinette might never know, at this rate. "I mean, what a trivial detail. And that's besides the point, maybe you're just jealous because you're alone."

Despite the sheer anxiety that was overtaking him with every passing second—ever closer to the revelation of his secret self—they found solace in mocking each other over their love lives. Chat knew it was childish, but it was helping him cope.

"Excuse you, I have a boyfriend," Ladybug said, and he sensed a small bit of pride in her voice. "And he's better than you'll _ever_ be."

"I'm sure he is," Chat said sarcastically, smirking as he did. Had she said this a few months ago, he might have been jealous. Feelings were such an unnecessary, annoying thing, Chat figured.

An uncomfortable silence passed over them. Ladybug looked at Chat nervously. "I really don't want this to happen," she sighed.

"Me either," Chat responded. "What if we just...closed our eyes?" he suggested.

"I don't think either of us could resist the temptation to peek," Ladybug admitted. "And besides, if we want to get out of here, I think it would be useful if we were able to see."

Chat could tell there was less than a minute left. They had both accepted what was about to happen—their identities were about to be revealed, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. Anticipation turned into anxiety as he thought of what Ladybug might do once she found out who he was—she had met him before. She knew his name.

 _Beep beep._

Chat instinctively closed his eyes. He could feel himself de-transforming, knowing that this would make him even more vulnerable to whatever these people had planned for him and Ladybug.

Chat was Adrien again. He kept his eyes shut, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

He heard Ladybug gasp loudly across from him. This prompted him to slowly open his eyes, and what—no, _who_ —he saw was enough to almost make him pass out again. No. This couldn't be...the universe couldn't possibly be so cruel...

 _"M-Marinette!?"_

 _"Adrien!?"_

They both exclaimed in unison, identical expressions of horror on their faces. Just then, when Adrien felt like the world was collapsing around him, a figure appeared in front of the cell. Adrien hesitantly averted his attention away from Ladybug—no, _Marinette_ to see who it was.

A woman opened the cell door, and Adrien could barely make out her features since there was a shadow cast across her face.

She stepped out from the shadows and entered the cell wearing a pristine white suit. Adrien looked up, and when he did, _now_ he was sure that he was about to pass out. The universe was probably enjoying this, torturing him so much in the span of just a few minutes.

 _"Mother!?"_ Adrien exclaimed.


	13. The Truth Hurts

Marinette wanted to believe that this was all some crazy, bizarre nightmare. She must have fallen asleep while working on her design. She wasn't _actually_ locked in a cell in a creepy warehouse with her evil nemesis who also happened to be her perfect, lovable, kind-hearted boyfriend. No, they weren't the same person. It was impossible. Absurd. She was dreaming, of course she was. There was no other explanation.

Marinette blinked a couple of times and pinched her thigh. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was burning up. As surreal as the world felt right now, as intense as her emotions were, this was real.

Chat Noir was Adrien. Adrien was Chat Noir.

It was perhaps the most insane and horrible thing she ever had to come to terms with. It felt like the Adrien she once knew was dead, except he wasn't.

" _Mother!?"_ Adrien exclaimed. Marinette had been too shell-shocked to notice the woman who had stepped into the cell. She looked up to see her and was astonished at how much she resembled Adrien. The same round face, blond hair, and bright green eyes. Her mouth was the same shape as his, and Marinette had the suspicion that her smile was probably the same too.

 _Chat Noir's_ smile...she reminded herself. Adrien was practically dead.

"Just as I had feared…" the woman said, crouching down to meet her son. She looked at Adrien with a heartbroken expression on her face. Marinette could have sworn that the woman had almost extended an arm to touch Adrien, but pulled back once she saw how betrayed he looked.

Adrien looked pale. He looked like he was about to faint. As furious as Marinette was at him, wanting nothing more than to beat him to pulp, she felt bad. She could only imagine the wild rollercoaster of emotions he must be going through. After all, she felt the same way. Except _she_ wasn't the one whose presumably dead mother had returned from the beyond.

"Adrien," his mother said soothingly, a gentle expression on her face. "Don't be afraid, it's me." She reached out to touch his arm but Adrien flinched when she did.

He was trembling. Marinette could even see tears welling up in his eyes. She didn't know whether he was about to hug her after so many years apart, scream at her for being a terrible mother, or both.

"You...you're nothing to me," Adrien said quietly. "You kidnapped me. Your own son…" he said. Marinette could tell he was trying hard not to burst into tears.

"Sweetheart, I wasn't sure it was you," the woman frowned, but spoke in a gentle tone. "I had my suspicions, that's all. I'll admit, getting you here was probably not so pleasant, but nobody here has any intention of hurting you or your…friend," she said, hesitating at the last bit after acknowledging Marinette for the first time.

"Why," Adrien said, his voice hoarse and trembling slightly. He stared at her intently. "Why did you abandon me?"

"Oh, Adrien, I'm seeing you after all these years and _that's_ what you want to know?" she answered quickly, seemingly trying to dismiss his loaded question. "Look at you, you're a fully-grown teenager! And how tall you've become…"

"Answer my question!" Adrien shouted, the tears finally spilling out. "Almost five years! I've spent the last _five years_ either training or being a super villain, hated by the entire city! And do you know why? TO GET YOU BACK!"

Marinette was shocked. Never in her wildest imagination would she have guessed the reason for Chat Noir's escapades. She had always thought that Hawkmoth and Chat Noir only wanted power. But it had never been for power...Chat had only wanted his mother back. His actions were obviously extreme, but Marinette still felt strangely guilty for getting in the way.

Adrien's mother stared at him, a solemn expression on her face. She looked so beautiful, Marinette thought. The grief was evident on her nearly flawless features, perfectly accentuating each and every expression.

"I didn't ask you to do that," she simply responded.

"Father made me do it," Adrien said bitterly. "He stole the cat miraculous for me," he said, gesturing towards Plagg, who was lying exhausted on the floor after all the hours of exerted energy.

"He told me if I managed to take the Ladybug miraculous, it would somehow bring you back," Adrien continued.

"Your father is an idiot," Adrien's mother responded dismissively. "My team and I knew exactly where the cat and the ladybug miraculouses were. Those two were the least of our concerns. We've spent the last few years looking for the other miraculouses...the bee, the fox, the turtle, and more."

Marinette suddenly noticed a peacock pin shining on her white suit.

"I haven't been in Paris for years, but when I caught wind of what was going on, I immediately suspected you and your father. I dared not believe it at first, since I couldn't believe Gabriel would reach such a level of stupidity…" she sighed.

"You broke him," Adrien said harshly. "Both of us. You ruined my life. You're so selfish—"

"Enough," she warned, casting a sharp glare at her son. "You think leaving was painless for me?" Adrien's mother demanded.

"Do you think leaving the love of my life and my only son that night was easy? That I didn't grieve for months on end, or that I didn't miss either of you on your birthdays, on holidays, or anniversaries? These have been the worst five years of my life, and still my job is not done. And then, I return to Paris and find out what my dear son and husband have been up to! Imagine my despair!" she said, her eyes shimmering with tears to match her son's.

"Then why did you leave if it made you so miserable?" Adrien demanded loudly.

"It was for the greater good!" Adrien's mother explained. "That ring of yours," she said, grabbing Adrien's hand. "Or your earrings," she glanced at Marinette. "You would be amazed at how many evil people want to get their hands on that jewelry. In the wrong hands, it could cause devastation, especially if someone were to acquire all of them. My group and I, now forming an organization, have worked tirelessly to find these items and ensure the safety of the world. We haven't found a way to destroy the miraculouses, but we have to find each one first to do that."

"So," Adrien laughed humorlessly, a hollow, empty expression on his face. "You left me to go on a mission to save the world. Didn't even bother to send a postcard, or even drop a phone call. No, suddenly I just wasn't important enough…I would've convinced myself you were just dead but Dad insisted you were only missing…"

"My work is dangerous and secretive, Adrien. I've found myself on the most remote, isolated, and exotic locations of the world. There are people who have caught wind of me and my organization, and some of these people are actively trying to track me down. I've had dozens of aliases and secret identities. There's no way I could keep in touch with you and your father without putting you at risk."

"You could have told us before you left," Adrien said quietly. "You could have at least said goodbye.."

"Your father would have done everything in his power to stop me," she responded simply. "He was beginning to piece together what I was up to. I had to leave before he figured out my plan."

Adrien wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His eyes were red and puffy, and he was staring at his mother like he still couldn't believe that she was real.

"I remember the last day I spent with you," Adrien recalled, his voice hoarse and quiet. "You took me to that secret garden at the park, and then you bought me my favorite ice cream...that night we watched a movie together until I fell asleep…and you knew the whole time…"

Adrien's mother wiped a tear from her eye. Even when she was crying she looked pretty, Marinette thought.

"When I put you to bed that night, I felt like a part of me was dying. The strength it took to leave you was unbearable. Not a day passed where I didn't think of you or your father, or the life I left behind," she said sorrowfully.

"Adrien, I had to watch you grow up through the internet. I tirelessly kept up with your photoshoots. A mother shouldn't have to watch her son grow up from behind a computer screen. But then I told myself that what I was doing helped keep you safe from all the evil people who wanted to abuse power that was beyond their control," she continued.

Adrien was now quietly sobbing, as was she. Finally, after what felt like eternity (which it technically was, Marinette figured,) they embraced each other in a tearful hug. Adrien sobbed into his mother's shoulder, clutching her tightly. Marinette felt like she was intruding on something very private.

When they finally pulled apart, Adrien's mother gave one last instruction. "Adrien...listen to me. I need you and Ladybug," she said, looking unsurely at Marinette, "To give me your miraculouses. You can trust me to keep them safe. I can't let you keep doing this, not when there are so many people after them. This makes both of you clear targets."

"No," Adrien and Marinette both said unison.

Adrien's mother raised a questioning eyebrow. "Let me rephrase that. You don't have a choice. Neither of of you is leaving until you give up your miraculous."

"No! I'm not letting you take Plagg," Adrien said stubbornly. Marinette felt the same way towards Tikki.

Adrien's mother sighed. "Then perhaps it's time you say goodbye. And not just to your kwami," she said, standing back up.

Adrien's eyes widened. "You're leaving again, aren't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

She didn't respond. Her despondent expression answered his question.

"Will you ever come back?" Adrien asked quietly.

"Of course I will, sweetheart," she smiled sadly. "It's my dream to be there at your wedding. I want to see my grandchildren. I want to be there with you every step of the way. But before any of that, I have to make sure that I finish what I started."

Adrien was silent. Tears welled up in his eyes once more as his mother stepped away.

"Someone will arrive shortly with some food. Goodbye, Adrien…"

"Mom, please don't leave me," Adrien begged. "We—we can figure something out. Don't go. Don't leave me again. I need you."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to maintain composure. Marinette could practically see his mother's heart break into pieces.

She turned around and exited the cell. Adrien's mother locked them back up, disappearing without another word.

Adrien was still sobbing, his head buried in his knees. She saw his back shake as he continued to cry.

Marinette had been furious at Adrien before. She had wanted to cry, to scream, and unleash her rage and betrayal onto him. Now she genuinely pitied him, even if she couldn't physically bring herself to comfort him.

She had been so caught up with the fact that Adrien was Chat Noir that Marinette had forgotten the most important fact.

He was also her boyfriend.

The more she thought about it, the more messed up the situation became. She would spare Adrien for now. But that didn't mean everything would go back to normal. Marinette didn't think things could ever go back to the way they were before.

For all she knew, perhaps this was the end of their relationship altogether. Marinette didn't think it was possible that they could even go back to being friends. She didn't want to burden Adrien any more than he already was right now, but Marinette had never felt so betrayed in her entire life. Everything that Adrien was in her eyes turned out to be an utter lie.

She couldn't just move on from this. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to cry. It was as if she had lost someone she loved forever, and she was grieving internally as if Adrien had died. In a way, he _had_ died—but only the version of him that had existed in her mind.

Marinette couldn't love Adrien anymore. She could never love Chat Noir.

* * *

A short man wearing all black arrived in their cell and dropped off two plates, one for each of them. The plates had a sandwich and a cookie along with a bottle of water. Plagg didn't waste a second to dive into Adrien's sandwich and eat the cheese before anything else. He didn't blame him. Plagg was probably starving.

Neither Adrien nor Marinette had said a word to each other. In fact, they were both actively avoiding even looking at each other. This was without a doubt the most awkward situation he had ever been in, and that was saying something because he had had plenty.

Their kwamis, on the other hand, had been whispering to each other, and had only now stopped after the food arrived. They both needed to eat and recharge so that Adrien and Marinette had a chance of getting out of here without giving up their miraculouses.

Adrien figured that it was probably the middle of the night right now. He wondered if his father was worried about him, or if he had even noticed that he was gone. Adrien was still angry over the drowning incident last week. His father had expressed genuine concern over what had happened, but Adrien didn't think it was enough.

All of those Akumas had been for nothing. They had been nothing but a waste of time.

He glanced over at Marinette, who looked like she was about to fall asleep. Although they were chained up directly across from each other, she had purposely positioned herself at enough of an angle that she wouldn't have to look at him. She kept nodding off, her head tilting to the side to lean against the wall.

Adrien's heart broke when he saw her like that. He could only imagine what sort of emotions she must be feeling. Betrayal, anger, disgust...he couldn't even bring himself to think about it for too long without wanting to clench his own hair in his fists and scream out of self-hatred and frustration.

He had hurt her so many times. Marinette. He had hurt _Marinette_. It was Marinette who he had threatened to kill all of those times, never truly meaning it but wanting her to be afraid. It was Marinette who he had manipulated and belittled, insulted and fought. It was Marinette who he had grabbed in a chokehold, smirking at the fear in her eyes.

It all made sense now. He had long wondered why Marinette hated Chat Noir on such a personal level. She was Ladybug. She had every right to hate him. The fact that she put up with his nighttime visits was astounding. All of those moments spent on Marinette's balcony, and it had been _Ladybug_ the whole time! How had she tolerated him? How had she been relatively kind to him despite all that he had done to her?

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut. His head was pounding. In the same night, he had found his mother and lost her again, found out his girlfriend was his enemy, and realized that he was truly, utterly, and completely alone.

He would have cried at the thought, but he had no tears left. Adrien knew that their relationship was unsalvageable. He could never get Marinette back—romantically was out of the question. She would never speak to him again. She was gone. Marinette would never be a part of his life ever again, in any way at all.

Adrien knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness. He would just have to accept that, as painful as it was. When Chat had antagonized Ladybug for the past two years, he never thought that his actions would have consequences. He never imagined that he would get to know the girl behind the mask, and even if he did, he had never expected it to be someone that he cared about.

"Plagg and I are all charged up now," said an unfamiliar, chirpy voice. It was Ladybug's kwami. She looked like Plagg without the cat ears, and was red with black spots and an antennae. All in all, she looked rather cute.

Marinette blinked tiredly and sat back up, suddenly awoken from her light sleep. "R-ready, Tikki?" she said, stifling a yawn.

Plagg approached Adrien, giving him a pitying look. Adrien was getting tired of Plagg feeling sorry for him. It was so foreign to him since until recently, the cat fairy had been insistent on being a menace. Maybe Plagg and Adrien could finally work out their differences. After all, Adrien was certain that his days of being Paris' most wanted super villain were over.

"Claws out," Adrien said under his breath. He transformed quickly, the familiar green light engulfing him. He felt really self-conscious because this was the first time had had transformed with someone else watching. It didn't help that that someone happened to be Ladybug.

"Spots on," Marinette said tiredly. Chat watched as a pink light surrounded Marinette, unveiling a newly transformed Ladybug. He had never seen a transformation from this perspective. It was fascinating.

Now that they were both transformed, Chat realized that they would actually have to speak to each other in order to get out of here. Plagg and Tikki weren't even around to diffuse the tension anymore. Thankfully, he wasn't the one who spoke first.

"I'll use my lucky charm to get us out of these chains. You'll use your cataclysm on the bars," Ladybug said simply. There was no expression in her voice—just a simple, to-the-point instruction.

Chat nodded, still avoiding direct eye contact. He had still looked at her, however, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't seen the resemblance sooner. Ladybug and Marinette were practically _identical!_ The same height, the same hair, and the same eyes!

Oh, those eyes...that perfect shade of bluebells. He had swooned over them twice, not realizing that they belonged to the same person. Chat couldn't believe how pathetically blind he had been. The only explanation was that their masks were magical as well, shielding their identities from being revealed based solely on resemblance. Maybe it had worked on their voices too, because he couldn't believe he had missed it before.

Ladybug had conjured a single key from her lucky charm. She quickly unlocked the cuffs from her hands, then made her way towards Chat. He tried not to sweat nervously over how close she was when she crouched down beside him to put the key into the lock.

It was awful. He could _feel_ the tension between them. It was practically radiating off of both of them.

Pretty soon they were both free from their chains. Chat quickly made his way towards the iron bars that sealed them in. "Cataclysm," he said forcefully, then swiped a hand across the bars as if he was running along a scale on the piano.

They quickly escaped the cell and ran to their left in hopes of finding an exit. Chat raced past large, empty shelves and locked doors, the smell of dust overwhelming his senses. The warehouse was very empty. He had feared running into the "team" that his mother had been referring to, but thankfully saw no one, not even the people who had kidnapped them.

Finally, they found a door that seemed to be larger than the others. Ladybug opened it carefully, and Chat was filled with immense relief when he felt the cool November air as she did. They were free.

Ladybug stepped out first as Chat followed. They were standing in a relatively empty street—there were no cars, no shops, just a few empty-looking buildings. It was pretty much the "wrong side" of Paris that most people avoided, and it looked even more frightening since it was the middle of the night.

Their eyes met for a moment. Chat almost said something, anything—but it was too late. Ladybug had already thrown her yo-yo and anchored it to the top of the building across from them, and the next thing he knew, she was gone.

* * *

Marinette was thankful that tomorrow was Saturday, given how exhausted and sleep-deprived she was. She climbed the ladder to her bunk bed, relishing the feeling of her soft mattress and the pillow. Her neck and back had grown extremely stiff from being locked up in the cell.

Tikki hovered close by. It was too dark for Marinette to see her face, but she already knew that the concern was there.

"You knew, didn't you," Marinette said blankly. Tikki had never been neutral on her stance regarding Adrien. There was no other explanation.

"Yes," Tikki sighed. "I wanted to tell you, but I'm not allowed to. I'm bound by many rules. I always knew that Chat Noir was someone in your class—I've sensed his kwami's presence since the day you first went to school with me in your bag. Even when you were with your friends, I _still_ sensed Plagg. I knew it had to be Adrien. When he asked for camembert that night it only confirmed my suspicions."

Marinette stared at the ceiling, letting Tikki's words sink in. Eventually she bid her goodnight and flew away to where she usually slept. Her phone was still on her bed—Marinette grabbed it, half-expecting to see a text from Adrien after all those nights spent texting him before bed. She typed in her password and was met with her lock screen picture, which was a selfie of her and Adrien at the park. They were both wearing sweaters, smiling brightly and holding cups of hot chocolate.

This picture had once made her smile every time she saw it. Now, she couldn't look at it without wanting to throw her phone against the wall. Apparently she enjoyed making herself miserable, because Marinette proceeded to go into her text messages and tapped on the thread labeled "Adrien" followed by heart emojis. She read the last texts they had sent to each other just this morning before school.

 _Marinette: Oh my gosh, you're an idiot_

 _Adrien: I'm your idiot though ;)_

She stared at the texts, a surge of emotions engulfing her. How had her entire world changed in the span of a single day? How could the boy in the picture be Chat Noir? How could she have spent hours at night texting her sworn enemy and be completely oblivious?

Marinette turned her phone off and set it aside. Her chest ached, and there were tears in her eyes threatening to fall. She buried her face in her pillow, and before she knew it, she was crying. Her tears and the heaving sobs lulled her to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Things only get more angsty from here, folks ;D. Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza to all those who celebrate! And a happy new year! I personally cannot wait to kiss this hell year goodbye. Don't forget to follow me on tumblr, my username on there is also mocharetti!

-Y


	14. Behind the Masks

Breakfast was ominously quiet the next morning at the Agreste mansion. Nathalie had taken the day off to spend time with an old friend who was visiting from Canada. The Gorilla was nowhere to be seen. As for Adrien's father, he was locked up in his office, and Adrien could have sworn that he had heard him softly sobbing from the other side of the tall, black door.

Adrien had the unsettling suspicion that perhaps he wasn't the only one who had seen his mother last night. Perhaps she had paid her husband a visit as well...

He couldn't bring himself to eat more than a single slice of toast, which he had practically forced down his throat. Normally he would have had lots to do on a Saturday, but with his father locking himself up, the absence of practically anyone in his cold, empty home, Adrien assumed that any sort of photoshoot or extracurricular class was out of the question.

Adrien made his way back to his room, not quite knowing what to do with himself. He wasn't used to having nothing to do. And he certainly wasn't used to this heavy feeling on his chest, the dreadful emptiness, or the sudden loss of any hope he had for a happy future.

He collapsed onto his bed, his pajamas still on and his hair still a mess. Despite all the emotions he had experienced in the past twelve hours, the most crushing and agonizing feeling of them all was that of loneliness.

Adrien realized that he had no one. His father had never been there for him. His mother was gone. Marinette...well, he didn't want to think about her. The mere thought of her was enough to send him spiraling back into a mental state of sheer anguish.

He couldn't bring himself to think about Marinette... _Ladybug_ , without hating himself. Remembering everything he had done to hurt her—the girl who had temporarily filled is life with so much joy, so much hope—was enough to make him stare out of his window and wonder if he deserved to fall...

 _No. No more dark thoughts_ , Adrien told himself. Last night had made him think things he had never thought before...and he was not willing to go back.

"You should really do something to take your mind off things," Plagg suggested, appearing beside him on his bed.

"I can't bring myself to do anything," Adrien said quietly, laying on his bed and staring blankly at the ceiling. He knew that what he was doing wasn't healthy. Sitting around idly would only make him more susceptible to his thoughts and his unrelenting emotions.

"You're probably going to hate me for even suggesting this," Plagg said with a sigh, "But maybe you should man up and go talk to her."

Adrien paled. The mere thought of talking to _her_ set off a surge of anxiety through him. He didn't think he could even manage to go to school on Monday without having numerous panic attacks. Suddenly his father's insistence of homeschooling didn't seem like such a bad idea. As long as it meant never having to face her again…

"I c-can't…" Adrien whispered, his voice breaking as he felt himself begin to sob. Again. He broke down right in front of Plagg, never feeling so pathetic and worthless in his entire life.

"Come on, kid! People have faced worse break-ups before! Trust me, I've seen them," Plagg said, slightly shuddering at the thought of his last comment.

"I d-doubt that," Adrien hiccuped, aggressively wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Now he was angry at himself. He had already cried like a pathetic child too many times. He wanted to stop.

"Fine, don't talk to your girlfriend. Go ahead and be a wuss. But you gotta talk to _someone_ ," Plagg responded insistently.

"I'm talking to _you_."

"I think an actual human would be better in this situation. I'm not the best when it comes to relationship issues…"

Adrien chuckled darkly. "This goes _far_ beyond ordinary relationship issues. Breaking up is one thing—finding out your literal sworn enemy is actually your girlfriend is something else completely."

"Fine, whatever," Plagg said exasperatedly. "I can't deal with your angst all on my own. Hey, I know—why don't you go talk to your friend with the headphones? Nano, was it?"

Adrien stared at the kwami, his heart leaping with hope at the suggestion. He had been too wrapped up in thoughts of his mother, father, and Marinette that he forgot he still had someone who hadn't left him. His best friend.

"Nino," Adrien repeated, his eyes widening. It almost filled him with relief—the fact that he wasn't yet completely alone. "I'll go talk to Nino."

And he knew just where to find him.

* * *

"Marinette!" Sabine repeated, standing at the foot of Marinette's bunk bed. "What's going on? You can't just hide out in your room this entire weekend!"

"I don't want to talk about it," Marinette said stubbornly, laying down and staring at the wall. She hastily wiped even more tears from her eyes, which frustratingly enough seemed endless. Marinette wanted to be left alone to her misery without her parents getting involved.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," Sabine said firmly, asserting the fact that she could be even more stubborn than her daughter.

"Stop asking me questions!" Marinette shouted, her voice strained from crying.

"No," Sabine said simply. Marinette couldn't see her mother from the position she was in, but she could still practically _feel_ her mother's gaze on her.

"This has something to do with Adrien, doesn't it."

His name sent unpleasant chills down her spine. She was trying so hard not to think about him, but she couldn't do it, no matter her efforts. Her brain was on a continuous loop of all the memories she had shared with Adrien, comparing those memories to the ones she had of Chat. Sometimes she would even momentarily forget that they were the same person, and recalling this fact hurt her every time.

Marinette's silence was enough of a response for her mother.

"You two broke up," Sabine suggested.

More silence. Sabine sighed, then spoke once more. "As much as I want to talk to you about it, I know I won't be able to give you the support you need. Good thing I called Alya half an hour ago."

Marinette bolted upright in her bed, staring at her mother. "You did _what?"_

As if on cue, the trap door opened revealing her best friend. Alya stood up and nodded at Sabine reassuringly.

"I'm so relieved that you're here," Sabine said, sighing. "I know that you will handle this better than I ever could. Thank you for setting aside your time for this."

"Don't sweat it Mrs. Cheng, it's no trouble at all."

After Sabine left, Marinette slumped back into bed and didn't acknowledge Alya at all. Her mother had played a smart move. If there was one thing Alya was good at, it was forcing people to deal with their problems face-on. Which was exactly what Marinette was refusing to do. She didn't want to think or talk or even look at Adrien ever again, and not even Alya could make her do it.

"Marinette, what happened?" Alya asked. "How did you and Adrien break up?"

Marinette didn't answer. She just kept staring at the ceiling, trying not to think of the bizarre things that had happened last night—getting locked in a cell with Chat, finding out that Chat was Adrien, and meeting his mother who apparently was still very much alive.

When she had woken up that morning, Marinette had tried to convince herself that all of those events had only been a dream.

Now that she thought about it, she never _technically_ broke up with Adrien. No verbal agreement had been made.

"Mari," Alya repeated. "You need to talk about this."

"No!" Marinette said, sniffling slightly. "I don't—I don't want to talk about him," she continued, the frustration building up. "I never want to see his stupid face or hear his stupid voice ever again!"

"But what did he do?" Alya persisted. "Come down, Marinette, look at me face-to-face and tell me what he did."

"I'll tell you what he did," Marinette said darkly. "He's a liar. He's—he's a manipulative, lying…" she stopped. Here she was, accusing Adrien of all these things, while she herself wasn't any different.

What was she doing this very moment? Lying. Manipulating. Avoiding the truth. Alya didn't deserve this. And Marinette couldn't deal with all this on her own. She needed someone to _know_. She needed someone to _understand_.

Marinette was tired. She was emotionally vulnerable, exhausted, and sick of lying. Could she do this? Could she really tell Alya _everything?_

"Alya…" Marinette said, barely above a whisper. "Do you really want to know? Do you really want to know _everything_?"

"Of course I do," Alya said, looking at her best friend with a somewhat frightened expression. "Mari, you're scaring me. What did Adrien do that was so bad? Did he...did he _hurt you?_ "

"If you want to know what Adrien did, first you will have to find out what _I_ have been doing all along," Marinette said, her voice trembling slightly. She slowly climbed down the ladder from her bunk bed, landing on the floor.

"Spots on," Marinette said, barely above a whisper.

In a familiar swirl of pink light, Marinette transformed right in front of Alya. A few seconds later, Marinette was gone. Standing in front of Alya was none other than Ladybug herself.

Alya stared. Her eyes were wide, and the shock on her face was almost laughable. Ladybug quickly de-transformed in case her mother came back to check on them.

"So," Marinette said awkwardly. She needed Alya's shock to wear off before she continued this conversation.

"You're—but— _you're Ladybug!?_ " Alya stammered, looking so dizzy that she had to sit down on Marinette's mini couch.

"It's me," Marinette said, smiling weakly. "Er—surprise?"

Alya covered her face with her hands, apparently still taking a while to process what had just happened. Marinette had underestimated what Alya's reaction would be—she hadn't even gotten to the part about Adrien yet.

And no matter how hostile Marinette was feeling towards Adrien, she wondered if she even had the right to reveal his secret to Alya. It wasn't her's to tell.

"Okay," Alya sighed straightening up while sitting on the pink couch. "My best friend is Ladybug. I've been blogging about my best friend for the past two years and I never even knew…"

"That's kind of the reason why I never told you sooner," Marinette awkwardly explained. She was still debating whether or not she should tell Alya about Adrien. She _wanted_ to tell her. Marinette felt trapped in all of her secrets, and as much as she hated to admit it, Adren's secret had directly impacted her. It was _his_ secret that had turned her life upside-down, and she needed to express how much it had affected her.

"Wow, okay," Alya continued, still giving Marinette a disbelieving look. "I'm...I'm so glad you finally told me. Honesty, this explains a lot," she added with a small but strained smile.

Marinette _had_ to tell her. The weight of what she was going through couldn't be carried on her own.

"But what does Adrien have to do with you being Ladybug?" Alya questioned, hesitantly waiting for a response.

Then a realization seemed to hit Alya. "Oh no, let me guess…" she said, looking at Marinette regretfully. "You finally told him about it and he didn't take it very well, did he? You kept such a huge secret from him. I bet he still needs time to adjust."

Marinette laughed nervously, twirling a strand of hair while feeling her heart racing frantically in her chest. A strange feeling of nausea seemed to overcome her as she began to explain the truth. The hideous, ugly truth for which she was still in denial…

"I wish that was _all_ that had happened...no, Alya, I'm not done sharing secrets. But before I do, you have to _swear on your life_ that you won't tell anyone," Marinette said, a dead serious expression on her face.

"I promise I won't tell anyone anything," Alya promised. "You're my best friend. Secrets are sacred."

Marinette bit her lip. "And...another thing. Promise you won't...that you won't hurt Adrien."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm _very_ intrigued."

Marinette took a deep breath. "I'm not the only one with a secret identity. You see...Adrien is Chat Noir."

Alya stared at Marinette, then after another moment of silence, she burst out laughing.

"You're...you're kidding, right? This is all some weird joke isn't it?" Alya laughed uncomfortably. " _Adrien?_ Are you saying that as Ladybug, you somehow ended up dating _Chat Noir?_ That's...that's so unlikely. Out of all the boys in Paris...you can't be serious."

Marinette just stared at the floor and sighed. She was supposed to be _Lady Luck_. So how had she been unlucky enough to unknowingly fall in love with the boy who also happened to be her sworn enemy?

She merely looked at Alya with a deadpan expression, not laughing along. This was enough to send the message across to Alya that she was, in fact, being completely serious.

"You're...you're not kidding."

"Nope," Marinette responded, the same emotionless expression on her face.

"But...how?" Alya said softly, sounding somewhat betrayed. " _Adrien_? But he's not like that at all," she said, the confusion evident in her voice.

"That's what I thought until we de-transformed right in front of each other," Marinette sighed.

"Tell me. How did this all happen?" Alya questioned, now completely serious.

And so, Marinette told Alya everything. From the day she first became Ladybug, to the rooftop confrontations (every detail, including the kiss,) the alleyway rescue, Chat's nightly visits, and the bizarre events of last night.

Alya took a deep breath. "Okay...this is...this is a lot to take in. I'm dizzy and I feel overwhelmed, but I know you are too. And I have a solution for that, something that will take your mind off of your criminal, furry ex-boyfriend."

"Oh my god, we are _not_ referring to him as _that_ from now on," Marinette groaned.

"It's true though," Alya shrugged. "Anyway, like I was saying, I'm going to help you get your mind off of him. We're going out."

"I'm really not in the mood," Marinette sighed.

"Didn't ask if you were," Alya said simply, heading towards Marinette's closet to pick out an outfit. "We're going to the mall and I'm going to need your impeccable taste in style to help me pick out a dress for the fundraiser dance."

Apparently, saying "no" was out of the question.

* * *

Adrien stepped out of the bus and landed in a puddle as he ended up on a moderately busy street, one that was usually flocked with tourists. Except today was a cloudy day, fitting for his mood, and it seemed that people would rather stay indoors than be out sightseeing on a grey morning.

He found the restaurant he was looking for; one with blue geometric tiles framing the arched chestnut doors, and two fake but realistic-looking palm trees situated on either side. He entered the restaurant, hoping that his dishevelment wouldn't be noticed by the people inside.

It was a very high-end restaurant, and this made Adrien more self-conscious about his appearance. But then again, not many people were likely to be eating Moroccan cuisine long before it was even lunchtime.

Nonetheless, there was still a decent amount of people—mostly tourists, from the looks of it—who stared at him as he walked in. Whether they were staring at the dark rings underneath his eyes, his aggressively unkempt hair, or because he looked vaguely like the homeless version of the model whose face was plastered on numerous places around Paris, he couldn't tell.

All he needed was to find Nino. Adrien hoped that he remembered his shift timing correctly—Nino only worked on weekends, and this restaurant was owned by his aunt and uncle.

Adrien sighed in relief when he saw his best friend at the counter, flipping through a catalog of some sort with a disinterested expression on his face. He was even wearing a bright red fez that his aunt would force him to wear because it "enhanced the experience," whatever that meant.

Nino had frequently expressed an interest in throwing the "damn fez" into the Seine because he hated wearing it. He was also growing increasingly annoyed with people who insisted on making Doctor Who references about it, some even asking "Where's your bow-tie?" as if he was supposed to understand what they were referencing, since he had never watched the show.

"Hey," Adrien said, and watched as Nino abruptly looked up from the catalog.

"Adrien? Crap, dude, did you just roll out of bed or something?"

"I guess you could say that," Adrien sighed, rubbing his eye tiredly. "Look, Nino, I really need to talk to you. I know this is...sappy, or whatever, but you're the only person who might want to hear me out."

"Of course, I got your back bro," Nino said, looking concerned for his friend. Then he turned to face the kitchen. "HEY ADAM I'M TAKING AN EARLY BREAK," he called out. Nino quickly took off his fez and led Adrien to the break room, not even bothering to wait for a response to confirm his break.

* * *

"She hates me," Adrien sobbed, crying into Nino's shoulder. "And it's all my fault. I—I did so many awful things. I belong in prison...I should be arrested—but it d-doesn't matter because _she hates me so much_."

"Woah, woah, slow down. _What_ are you going on about?" Nino asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why the hell would you go to _prison_? Adrien, what did you do?" he asked, looking somewhat nervous.

"I—I don't even know where to begin…" Adrien said quietly. "And if I tell you, you'll hate me too. And then I'll have no one."

"Don't be stupid, bro. You can tell me anything. You're my best friend, remember?" Nino reassured him.

"You're not going to want to be my friend if I tell you." Nino would be disgusted with him just like Marinette had been. He was a criminal. A super villain. An unwilling one, at that, but he was still the most hated person in Paris by far. Last time he checked, there was a 50,000 Euro price on his head for anyone who managed to uncover his secret identity.

But Nino would never tell anyone, would he? Adrien's gut was telling him that he could trust Nino with his life. And even if Nino _didn't_ tell anyone, he would hate him nonetheless. And Adrien didn't think he would be able to handle that.

"You're being ridiculous. Tell me what's going on, I promise I'll try to help in any way that I can," Nino insisted.

"Swear to me," Adrien suddenly said, eyeing his friend desperately. "If—if I tell you my secret, promise you won't tell anybody. Just—just promise you'll hear me out. I need someone to understand."

"Adrien, you're starting to freak me out."

"Swear on your life that you won't leave me," Adrien said frantically. "It's probably too much to ask, honestly, but I need you more than ever."

"Yes, Adrien, of course! Now tell me what's up!" Nino said, eyeing his friend with a concerned expression.

"Plagg, claws on," Adrien whispered. He transformed in a swirl of intense green light. His nighttime clothes were gone, replaced by black leather.

Nino gaped at Chat Noir. He looked stunned and horrified, as if Adrien had just shot someone right in front of him.

There was only silence. Chat waited for some sort of response, but there was nothing. Nino just kept staring at him, his mouth slightly agape as if he was at a complete loss for words.

Chat quickly de-transformed in case another person who worked at the restaurant stepped in. Even after the tail and the ears had disappeared, Nino hadn't moved or spoken.

"Nino, say something," Adrien said, his voice shaking slightly.

Nino remained silent. Instead, much to Adrien's alarm, Nino got up from the chair and walked over to the water cooler in the break room. He began filling up a plastic cup with water and proceeded to drink it, facing away from Adrien. Adrien thought he was done, but Nino filled the cup again and kept drinking.

Nino finally set the cup aside and walked back over to sit down on the chair. He seemed a lot more calm now, Adrien noted.

"You're Chat Noir," Nino said, as emotionless as ever. His voice was flat.

"Look, it's not what it seems," Adrien began, feeling his heart racing. "I was being forced to do it. I didn't want all those Akuma attacks to happen, I swear."

"And were you being forced to rob those banks, too?" Nino glared.

"N-no," Adrien faltered, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. Looking back, that had been stupid. That was back when he had a crush on Ladybug and only wanted an excuse to see her without the stress of an Akuma.

Nino continued angrily. "Or how about that time when you threatened to snap my neck?"

"I didn't mean it, I was only trying to get away. You and Alya had me cornered-" Adrien began, wondering if spilling all his secrets to Nino had been a good idea at all.

"Look, Nino, I'm sorry. It doesn't even begin to cover everything I've done. I'm sorry for lying to you, I'm sorry for not being the person you thought I was. And I understand your anger, even disgust, but you're still my best friend and I need you now more than ever. Because there's more to this, and it involves Ladybug."

Adrien figured that he had revealed this much, he might as well spill the rest of the story.

"What about Ladybug?" Nino asked coldly, not wanting to look at him directly. Adrien suddenly wished he was still wearing his fez. It would at least make his betrayal and anger seem less intimidating.

Adrien coughed uncomfortably, suddenly at a loss for words. It was now or never.

"Marinette is Ladybug."

"WHAT?" Nino exclaimed, no longer looking away from Adrien. He stared at him incredulously.

"I only found out last night and now she knows who I am. We're done," Adrien said quietly.

"You can't be serious...Marinette is Ladybug? You're Chat Noir? I just...come on, Adrien, quit playing around. This joke isn't funny at all." Nino scolded.

"I'm not messing with you, this is all the truth," Adrien said solemnly.

Nino looked dizzy. Adrien didn't blame him, this was an awful lot to take in. He sighed, then wearily looked at his best friend.

"I need you to explain everything from the beginning. Why did you become Chat Noir in the first place? How did you find out Ladybug is Marinette? I need answers."

And so Adrien told him. He told Nino about his mother and how she went missing, about how his father became mad with grief and had concocted an insane plan to get her back. He told him about robbing banks because of his inexplicable crush on Ladybug, but didn't fail to mention that the money he stole was donated to charity. He told him about how he hated dealing with Akuma attacks and thought it was a necessary task for getting his mother back. He told him about saving Marinette from the alleyway, and how he had developed feelings for her ever since. Then he told him about last night, when he and Ladybug had revealed their identities to each other and when he had seen his mother for the first time in five years, only to find out that his father's plan had been the product of a man who had become overwhelmed with loneliness and grief.

"...And I hate myself for it, all of it," Adrien concluded, his voice becoming hoarse. "All of the things I did to Ladybug, I did to Marinette. I could never forgive myself. I can't believe I hurt her. She hates me now, and rightfully so...except I still love her. And everything hurts, Nino, I just need you to understand...I need someone _so badly_ …"

Nino listened carefully, an unreadable expression on his face the entire time. Adrien became nervous, waiting for a response.

"I forgive you," Nino said calmly. "I've always known your father was a control freak. I just didn't think it went this far. I've known you for two years, Adrien, and I know you're a good person at heart. I'm glad you realize that you've fucked up, and it's time you own it and move on. Have you talked to Marinette since last night?"

Adrien shook his head.

"You need to get on that pronto. For now, I think you just need to forget about Marinette so that you can calm down. Let's go to the mall," Nino suggested.

"Th-the mall?" Adrien asked, surprised at the idea.

"Yes, the mall," Nino repeated flatly. "You can't stay cooped up in your depressing mansion this entire weekend. Plus I need to buy some things so you might as well tag along. You can buy me a cinnamon roll as compensation for lying to me about being a literal super villain."

"I'm sorry," Adrien repeated weakly. The prospect of what he had done was even stranger when Nino phrased it that way.

"Say no more, let's go."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update, it's been two whole months! My only excuse is that my mental health has literally never been worse. Anyway, enough of the personal nonsense, please take a moment to review. Don't forget to fave and follow as well, and also follow me on tumblr! My url is mocharetti just like my penname on here. Hopefully the next update won't take as long.

-Y


	15. Unravelling

Going to the mall had done little to help Marinette's mood. She was still miserable, but nevertheless half-heartedly attempted to give Alya advice as she tried on dresses for the fundraiser dance.

Marinette wouldn't hesitate to tell Alya the truth. Whether the color of the dress didn't suit her, if the design was just terrible, or if the style wasn't meant for her body type, she let her know.

"Aren't you going to try anything on? I know you've been working on a dress but I figured you might be, um... _busy_ ," Alya said, lightly implying Marinette's current emotional predicament. She twirled around in front of the mirror, admiring a black and gold dress.

"I don't know if I want to go to the dance anymore," Marinette admitted.

Alya stared at her. "But Marinette, you have to go. You're class representative, remember? You helped organize this dance in the first place, everyone in student council has to go."

Marinette had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had forgotten about that completely. In fact, she, Alya, Nino, and Adrien had reserved a table last week. It was already official; she was going to the dance with Adrien, and there was no backing out now.

"Oh," Alya said knowingly, quickly understanding Marinette's concern. "It's because you're going with _him_ , aren't you. We reserved a table and everything…"

"I don't want to think about it right now," Marinette sighed. Just forty-eight hours ago she had been thrilled for this dance and had wanted nothing more than to impress Adrien with her designing skills. Now the mere thought of going to the dance with him sent unpleasant shivers down her spine.

"I'm hungry," Alya declared. "Let's go to the food court, I'm in the mood for a sandwich." She closed the fitting room door while Marinette waited outside, absent-mindedly staring at some gold earrings that were on display.

A few moments later, Alya emerged from the fitting room, a red dress folded in her arms.

As Alya and Marinette left the boutique and entered the central mall area, Marinette couldn't help but notice the wide grin on her friend's face.

"What?" Marinette questioned, staring at Alya.

"Oh, nothing," Alya said quickly, trying to straighten her face. "It's just…I'm on a shopping trip! With _Ladybug!_ "

"This is like, our millionth time shopping together," Marinette pointed out.

"I know, I know...I'm still getting used to it all, sorry."

Marinette was glad that at least one of them was in a good mood. Meanwhile, she had just noticed a perfume ad with Adrien's face on it and she couldn't help but scowl.

She tried to forget about the image, but as they kept walking Marinette saw yet another poster. This one was an advertisement for the Agreste formal fashion line. It featured Adrien wearing a white tux, and although she hated to admit it, he looked _hot._

"Don't you just _love_ seeing pictures of your ex everywhere you go or is that just me?" Marinette asked Alya bitterly.

"Can't say that I can relate, but it must suck," Alya said simply.

"Look at him," she said sourly, pointing at the poster as they walked past. "Look at that stupid, smug smile on his face! How does he even live with himself, pretending to be this perfect model while hiding all of his crimes?"

"I'm more concerned about how I was friends with a super villain for two years and never noticed," Alya muttered. She sighed, then said "Look, Mari, he fooled us all. We can't dwell on it and what's done is done."

Marinette blinked away the tears beginning to emerge in her eyes. "I was his _girlfriend!_ " she whispered exasperatedly. "And what makes it even worse is that I'm _Ladybug!_ How did I not know? How could I have let him into my heart like that, only to end up feeling like I've been stabbed in the chest?"

"Mari, honey, I _know_ ," Alya said supportingly. "I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling right now. But the best you can do to move on is take your mind off of him."

"Seeing his stupid face everywhere doesn't help," Marinette sighed.

* * *

"You sure you don't want anything bro?" Nino asked again, looking at his friend with a weary yet concerned look on his face. Adrien didn't seem to be listening.

"They're onto me," Adrien whispered, glancing around the food court looking more paranoid than ever. "Th-those girls, they're looking at me! We need to leave, I think they _know_."

Nino gazed at Adrien with a raised eyebrow. "Dude, did you not notice all of those posters we just passed with your face on it? You're a _freaking_ _model_."

"Oh. Right," Adrien muttered fervently. He didn't feel any more relieved by that.

Adrien paid for Nino's food just as he had promised, a small price to pay for his two year's worth of lies and criminal activity, Adrien figured. They sat down across from each other at a small table.

"I can't go to school on Monday," Adrien said quietly, agitatedly fiddling with a napkin. "Just the thought of facing _her_ terrifies me."

He had come here to forget about Marinette, but how could he? No amount of distractions could get the the self-loathing off his mind.

"You're going to have to, sooner or later," Nino reminded him with a shrug.

"I just... _dude_ , I sit right next to her in calculus! She's my chemistry partner! There is absolutely _no way_ I can avoid her at school, much less get ten feet away from her!"

"But have you considered," Nino began in mock suspense, dipping a fry into ketchup, " _Not_ avoiding Marinette? Did you even stop and think that maybe, just maybe, talking it out will save your relationship? Swear to her that you'll stop being a criminal. Tell her that you still have feelings for her. You guys cared _so much_ about each other. And if I recall, Marinette saved your life last week? She didn't have to do that. She cared about you even when she didn't know it was you."

"God, I hate it when you act all wise," Adrien muttered. "That all sounds so nice, except for one tiny detail: you're wrong and she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, she's just shocked," Nino said consolingly. "Look, was I happy to find out that you're Chat Noir? Of course not. But I got over it because I know that's not the real you. The real Adrien is a good guy. A smart, frustratingly talented weeb with daddy issues but overall, not someone who belongs in jail."

"But it's not the same with Marinette. I...I messed with her head and with her emotions. I tried to manipulate her into revealing her identity when she was Ladybug and she didn't know I was Chat Noir. I've threatened her and did all these horrible things...I don't deserve her forgiveness."

"Then I guess you should forgive yourself before you even think about asking for Marinette's forgiveness," Nino concluded.

"There's no way I can forgive myself until she forgives me first. I don't think she ever will," Adrien said, a sense of sickening acceptance overcoming him. "Maybe my father was right. I should just go back to homeschooling and I won't ever have to see Marinette again. I'll be out of her life, just like she wants."

Nino sounded like he was choking on his burger. "D-dude, your father is the fucking _worst_. Look what he made you do! Never listen to a word he says _ever_ again."

And then there was the issue of his father. Adrien had momentarily forgotten about him since all he could think about right now was Marinette. He was certain that his mother visited him last night. And while a small part of him felt sorry for his father, he just couldn't get the bitter, resentful feeling at the pit of his stomach to go away.

Adrien thought he hated his father after he nearly drowned because of the last Akuma attack. He had never truly forgiven him for that incident. But now, he realized that all of this—the stealing, the chaos, and being hated by all of Paris—was for nothing. It was all just a sham, a crazy scheme that his father had deluded both himself and his son into believing would bring _her_ back. When Adrien's mother had disappeared, Gabriel had only one clue as to what she was up to: the miraculouses.

Now that Adrien thought about it, Plagg was starting to grow on him. The cat kwami initially hated him, sure, but they had learned to get along as of late. Adrien felt guilty for still keeping his miraculous. This ring didn't truly belong to him. But the thought of saying goodbye to Plagg just felt so _wrong_. It was like he was thinking about getting rid of an actual pet.

"Oh no," Adrien suddenly heard Nino mutter.

"What?" he asked, noticing that he was staring at someone a few feet behind him. Adrien turned to look, and what he saw made his heart drop and his breathing to cease altogether. He had never felt so anxious and so afraid in all his life.

There, standing by her best friend, was an equally shocked and wide-eyed Marinette.

* * *

Marinette felt like her body had frozen up. She was stiff with...fear? She couldn't pinpoint exactly how she was feeling because Marinette was convinced that right now, she was feeling every single emotion all at once.

Marinette knew that she would have to face _him_ eventually. She just didn't know it would have to be so soon, or in the exact place she had come to specifically to stop thinking about him.

Adrien looked frozen too. He was just sitting there, _staring_ at her. His hair was messy, he had bags under his eyes. If it wasn't for the insanity of what had happened last night, Marinette would have been squealing over how cute this messy just-got-out-of-bed look of his was.

"Marinette…" he said breathlessly, as if he was going to say something else. However, he was immediately interrupted.

"Stop _right there_ , Agreste," Alya snapped. "You don't even deserve to _look_ at Marinette, much less _speak_ to her!"

"Alya, chill out," Nino said with a frown. Marinette wondered if Nino would be saying that if he had even an inkling of an idea of what his supposed 'best friend' had been hiding from all of them.

"This isn't any of your business, Alya," Adrien said. His voice sent shivers down her spine...how had she not known? The only explanation to this was the magic of their miraculouses. It had never been so clear in her life that Adrien and Chat Noir were the same person. It was the same exact voice all along.

"None of my business?" Alya exclaimed incredulously. "Fuck off, Adrien, or should I even call you that? Maybe you're lying about that too! I wouldn't know, would I? After all, you can't trust liars! But see, you're even _worse_ than just a liar; you're an evil, twisted, psychopathic—"

"Alya, quiet down," Marinette said anxiously. This confrontation was bad enough as it was. People around them in the food court were starting to stare at them as Alya's voice grew louder with anger.

Adrien was now staring at Alya, shell-shocked at what she was saying. He didn't know how much Alya knew. He didn't know that she had told her everything from start to finish.

"Alya, you don't know the whole story…" Adrien said slowly. Marinette resisted the urge to smirk.

"I know everything, _kitty_ ," Alya said threateningly, looking at her once-friend with seething hatred.

"So do I," Nino said abruptly, much to Marinette's surprise. "But I forgave him. You don't know what happened from Adrien's point of view so stop judging him so harshly."

Chat had always been good at manipulating people. He had played his usual tricks on Nino. It didn't matter whether or not he was in his suit; he was still the same vile human being. What kind of 'woe-is-me' deceitful explanations had Adrien filled Nino's head with to ensure his best friend didn't leave his side?

Alya rounded on Nino, disbelief in her eyes. "You're going to side with _him_?" she shouted. "You're going to side with a _criminal_?" Alya continued, thankfully saying this part in a more hushed tone.

"I'm siding with my best friend," Nino corrected her defensively.

"Then you're just as bad as him," Marinette finally said, gathering up the courage to say something while the argument around her unfolded.

Adrien looked genuinely hurt. She decided that she would mince him with her words, inflicting just as much emotional damage to him as he had done to her.

"I'm...I'm sorry…" Adrien pleaded, his voice hoarse. Marinette blinked and then stared at him, shock mingling with confusion at these simple words.

He looked at her with those bright green eyes, and she almost reconsidered everything. How long had she had a crush on this boy? Up until last night, Adrien was the image of perfection in her eyes. She remembered staying up late, laughing in the darkness of her bedroom at his texts. She remembered walking to school with him, hand-in-hand. She remembered baking with him in his flour-covered apron. She remembered that big, warm hug he had given her just yesterday morning before class and feeling like everything in the world was as perfect as it could possibly be.

Except...except that was _Chat_. And she couldn't let go of that simple, awful fact. All of her good memories had been tainted by her arch-nemesis, the boy who used to strike genuine fear in her heart, the same one who had threatened to kill her more times than she could count. Had he ever meant it? And what about all those times he had physically hurt her during those fights? The thought of it made her very uneasy and sick to her stomach.

How cruelly ironic it was that her favorite person in the world and her least favorite person in the world turned out to be the same person.

"You can shove that apology up your ass!" Marinette shouted, not quite knowing where all of this anger had come from. It was like her fear of having to face Adrien had morphed into shock, from shock into convoluted despair and finally into anger.

"Oh, and Nino," Alya said, just as Marinette had turned on her heel to leave. "We're done. If you're going to side with this menace to society then I can't be your girlfriend anymore."

Nino looked like he had just been slapped in the face. However, his shock quickly changed to visible anger. "Fine then! Sucks that you're such a closed-minded little—"

"Finish that sentence I _dare_ you," Alya challenged with gritted teeth.

"Is there a problem here, kids?" said a man who had suddenly appeared next to the group. He was wearing a distinct uniform—mall security, by the looks of it. "You're causing a commotion and I have to ask you to leave."

"We were just leaving, sir," Marinette said, trying not to choke on her tears. She couldn't bear being next to Adrien for a minute longer. He had already turned around, his head in his arms at the table while Alya and Nino were busy staring daggers into each other.

Alya grabbed her by the hand and they got out of the food court as quickly as possible, not paying any notice to the people staring as they left.

* * *

Was it humanly possible to feel this miserable? Adrien seemed to be testing the limits of human emotion. Never had he felt so guilty and worthless in his entire life. He was laying on the floor of Nino's bedroom, staring at the dark ceiling and wondering what Marinette was doing at this very moment.

Adrien was glad that he wasn't in his own bedroom right now. After the fiasco at the mall, Adrien refused to stay at the mansion. He was falling to pieces as it was—Nino's company was helping him keep his composure to some extent. He went home to quickly gather up his things and notify Nathalie before heading off to Nino's house.

The sleeping bag was comfortable. Adrien liked how soft it was and how it acted as a cocoon, almost like the cushiony fabric was hugging his body.

Who was the last person he had actually hugged? His mother. Last night, before she had disappeared from his life yet again. Before that, he had hugged Marinette.

Adrien could almost smell her shampoo from his memory. Her hair smelled like strawberries but the rest of her maintained the scent of everything sweet and buttery. He tried so hard not to forget her smell and her touch because Adrien knew for certain that he would never get to experience that ever again.

Irony was a bitch, Adrien thought. A few months ago, he had been suffering because of his crush on Ladybug. Clearly, it was unrequited; Adrien didn't quite know why he had been so attracted to the girl who was meant to be his enemy. For a while he had been so relieved to get over that stupid crush, allowing him to feel less guilty about trying his hardest to take Ladybug's miraculous. Not to mention, Marinette had seemed like the perfect girl for him, particularly because she made him forget about his crazy secret life of crime.

So naturally, Marinette would turn out to be Ladybug because that was just how his luck typically went.

A few days ago, Adrien had been happy. He had been in _love_. There was something about being in Marinette's presence that had just filled him with so much joy and contentedness. Every time he made her laugh or smile Adrien felt his stomach do cartwheels. He had always wanted to be in her presence—every moment he spent away from her had felt like a waste.

But now the thought of having to see her at school made him anxious. How could he ever face her again? She had made it clear to him today that she was in no position to forgive him. And quite frankly, he would have done the same if he was in her position.

Adrien couldn't avoid her at school. It was impossible. Nothing would ever be the same, not while Marinette, Alya, and Nino had all discovered his secret. He couldn't even begin to express how thankful he was to his best friend, who he could hear snoring loudly from his bed. And even though Nino had forgiven him and remained dutifully on his side, their friendship wasn't the same either. Nino hadn't made as many jokes as usual, and was still quite reserved when he was talking to him. He hoped that things wouldn't stay this way. Perhaps Nino was simply adjusting.

Adrien pulled out his phone, staring at the screen. His wallpaper was a picture of Marinette while she was sketching. She hadn't noticed that he was taking her picture at the time, so she was looking at her notebook rather than his camera. She looked so cute, all focused like that. Adrien had shown her the picture afterwards and she had merely smiled.

The guilt was painful. All those times she had been so tired, so stressed out—it made sense now. She was like that because of _him_. Marinette had fought off both him and the Akumas all by herself, _of course_ she was exhausted. And how many times had he purposely robbed those banks at night for the sole purpose of pissing her off? Adrien was good at functioning on low amounts of sleep, but clearly the same could not be said for Marinette.

Was it even worth begging for forgiveness? And if, by some impossible miracle the stars aligned and she _did_ ever forgive him, she certainly could never forget.

He unlocked his phone and went to the thread labeled Marinette. Gathering up what little courage he had, Adrien began typing. Then he deleted what he had written. He typed again. But his words weren't good enough. Nothing Adrien could ever say would ever convey how he was feeling or how sorry he was.

 _Adrien: I know you hate me. I hate me too. I could say sorry a million times and it would never be good enough. I just want you to know that if I could take everything back, I would. I just want you to know that I still care about you, and that I always have._

Adrien felt nauseous. He read the text over repeatedly for the next five minutes, thinking hard about what else he could possibly say or change. Realizing that it was now or never, Adrien quickly hit send before he chickened out again.

And so he waited. His heart was beating rapidly as he stared at the sent text message. He almost gasped when the notification of _Read: 10:45 PM_ appeared beneath his text, so he waited eagerly.

But the typing bubble never appeared. Adrien kept waiting, but every passing second made it increasingly obvious that he wasn't about to get a reply. Marinette had left him on read.

* * *

A/N: Here you go, a shitty chapter after months of waiting. I'm so sorry...there has just been so much going on in my life lately it's ridiculous. So many things have changed and are changing. I really hope none of you thought this fic was abandoned because I am determined to finish it! In fact, I don't think there's many chapters left but I'm still not sure how many I'm going for. I would at least say there's less than five chapters left in this story. By the time I finish this I bet Miraculous season 2 will have already started! Time sure flies. Oh, and I have big plans for the next chapter...get ready for the most awkward day of school EVER.

Please don't forget to leave comments!

-Y


	16. Pettiness and Bickering

Adrien woke up startled on Monday morning when his phone's alarm clock went off. He groggily reached out and swiped the screen to turn it off, then buried his face in his pillow as he tried to remember why he felt anxious the mere second after he had woken up.

The time period between sleep and waking was blissful. Everything seemed so calm. His senses weren't awake enough to register his worries or all the aspects of his current reality.

However, the lack of awareness didn't last long. A few moments later, he knew why he felt this way. Today was Monday. Monday meant school.

And school meant Marinette.

Yesterday had been interesting, to say the least. He had spent most of the day with Nino, trying to distract himself with video games and a feeble attempt at a study session. It had all been fine until that evening, when his very large driver who greatly resembled a gorilla had shown up at Nino's doorstep to pick him up.

His father was taking _some_ initiative, at least. Adrien wondered how long it had taken his father to figure out that he was gone.

Since then, Adrien had been brooding. Plagg had decided to give him some space, not saying much as Adrien hung around aimlessly in his room.

And the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Yes, he had felt guilty. He _still_ felt that way. But Marinette was driving him _insane_. It had taken so much courage for him to send that text, and she hadn't even bothered to reply.

Why was _she_ acting like she was the only one who felt hurt? Did she even _bother_ to consider how he felt?

Of course not, Adrien thought sourly. Marinette was the 'victim' and _he_ was the 'evil' one. She had told Alya everything, but of course she hadn't bothered to tell her anything from _his_ point of view.

He remembered kicking his garbage can in anger. Yes, _he_ was the bad guy, he told himself sarcastically. It wasn't like Marinette hadn't done anything wrong. She always went on and on about how manipulative he was but she had done the same.

Marinette was a hypocrite.

Marinette was the one who pretended to be his friend for the sake of getting him to reveal his secret identity. And her plan had almost worked. As Chat, he had almost been stupid enough to tell her. He had attempted a similar strategy at one point when he encountered Ladybug at the park, but even he—the notorious, 'manipulative' Chat Noir—didn't have the heart to stab her in the back like that.

With all these bitter, frustrated thoughts swirling his mind, Adrien made his way to the bathroom and began washing his face.

And after all of this, _he_ was the one expected to apologize? In his pitiful state of anguish, Adrien had apologized to her over text. Now he wished he hadn't. He felt differently now. Because now he realized that Marinette was also guilty.

How many times had Chat almost died in those Akuma attacks? Ladybug had been just as vicious during their fights. He had also saved Marinette's life, yet she was _still_ insistent on viewing him as a monster.

Adrien brushed his teeth as he mulled over the extent to which Marinette's view of him was greatly exaggerated.

And she had _almost_ tricked him into thinking he _was_ a monster. Adrien knew who he was. He had never truly hurt anyone during those Akuma attacks. Yes, he had regularly inconvenienced and scared people in the city, and yes he had robbed a few banks and played quite rough with Ladybug-but he could have been worse. Heck, he had read about _comic book_ super villains that were a million times more evil than he was. He had never wanted to hurt anyone. He just wanted her miraculous.

So why were Marinette and Alya so determined to make him feel like some irredeemable, evil person? He wasn't. He just wasn't, and Adrien refused to let them make him feel this way. Enough was enough.

Adrien instinctively reached for his phone. He was going to stand up for himself. Deep down he knew he was being petty, but a surge of defiance was compelling him to go into his texting thread with Marinette and begin typing.

Not bothering to re-read his text more than once, he hit send.

Adrien's thoughts buzzed around his head as he got ready for school. He slammed his closet door closed and threw his clothes onto his bed. He changed into one of his fencing sweatshirts and a pair of jeans, grabbed his things, and headed out of his room.

Dear god, he was _not_ looking forward to this day.

* * *

"I can't do this," Marinette muttered, standing outside the bakery with Alya. She shuddered slightly at the chill in the air—it was November, and temperatures were dropping quickly—she pushed her scarf up so that it covered more of her neck.

"Look, Mari, there's nothing he can do to you at school. You know that," Alya reminded her.

"I'm not worried about that at all. I know he's not going to hurt me…" Marinette reasoned. Despite well... _everything_ , he was still Adrien. "I don't know how he's going to act or how he's going to behave. He's completely unpredictable right now."

But then again, how much more unpredictable could he get? Her boyfriend was secretly her arch-nemesis. She couldn't have _ever_ predicted that.

As the two friends walked towards the school, Marinette's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and was shocked to see that she had received a text message from Adrien.

"Adrien just texted me!" Marinette said, grabbing Alya's arm in suspense. But what it said only made matters worse.

 _Adrien: Disregard my previous text_

Alya had peered over to read what it said. She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What did the previous text say?"

Marinette showed her the last text from Adrien on Saturday night, the one that she had promptly ignored. It had been a long, heartfelt apology expressing regret over what he had done. Marinette had been shocked to read it and didn't know how to respond.

Forgiveness seemed out of the question right now. And besides, she didn't trust him one bit. For all she knew, maybe he was still after her miraculous! Sure, that encounter with his mom had somewhat discounted that theory, but she couldn't really be sure of anything. Gabriel Agreste could be plotting something evil right now, and Adrien might still be ready to do his dirty work.

And, distrust aside, she still hated him; for all that he had done as Chat Noir, and now for ruining her relationship. Marinette realized that it was paradoxical to blame Chat Noir for ruining her relationship with Adrien—mainly because it was the same person—but she couldn't help it.

"So…" Alya said, reading the two texts. "Two days ago he apologized, and now he's basically saying 'never mind, I'm not sorry anymore.' What a jerk."

"I'd expect nothing less from him," Marinette said sourly, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. The girls were quickly approaching school grounds, and she could feel the anxiety rising in her chest.

"Ugh, I can't do this, Alya! Why did Chat Noir have to be Adrien? Why couldn't it just have been some loser at a different school, not someone I see every day? Someone that I actually cared about? I just can't…!" she said frustratedly, the gravity of the situation finally beginning to sink in.

Alya gripped Marinette's shoulders in support. "Marinette, you've dealt with him countless times before and you always win. You're _Ladybug_. This is _nothing!_ It's just school. And if he says or does anything, I'll punch him for you."

Marinette laughed slightly, smiling appreciatively at her friend. This day was going to be bizarre and awkward, but she was Ladybug. She could handle anything. _Especially_ Chat Noir.

* * *

The suspense was killing him. Adrien was sitting at his desk in the front row, intently reading a chapter from Shakespeare that he neglected to read as homework. Every time he heard someone walk into the classroom, his heart raced with anxiety as he thought it was Marinette.

But so far, Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry bro, just go about your day like you normally would. It'll all blow over eventually," Nino advised him, looking over and apparently noticing Adrien's distress.

Adrien whispered back. "It's not like I can do anything else." He continued staring blankly at the text in his book, not really processing anything he read.

Then, from the corner of his eye he saw them. Alya and Marinette finally stepped into the classroom just moments before the first bell rang.

Adrien tried his best not to look up, to act completely unnerved by any of this. He wanted to appear as calm and non-threatening as possible. The illusion of normalcy was just what they all needed.

His hands trembled slightly as Marinette walked past him towards her seat. It suddenly felt very hot, even though the classroom was actually very cold since it was only the beginning of winter.

Adrien hoped that class would resume as normal, with the usual reading quizzes and written analysis that would require little to no interaction with other students. That's what literature class was for. But of course, as his luck would entail, Madame Dubois had other plans.

"Good morning class, I thought we would shake things up a little today and do some quick partner projects—"

"Do we get to pick our partners?" Chloe suddenly interrupted. "Because if we do, I call dibs on working with Adrien!" He would have let out an annoyed groan just then, but remained silent.

"No, Chloe," Madame Dubois replied patiently. "I'm assigning partners today." Chloe made a distinct _humph_ sound but did not argue further.

Madame Dubois called off the pairs one by one, and with each pairing Adrien grew more and more anxious. _Please don't pair me up with Marinette, please don't pair me up with Marinette…_ he thought to himself over and over again.

"Nino and Alix…"

"Alya and Chloe…" (Adrien heard a somewhat angry _thud_ from behind him, as Alya slammed her book onto the table…)

"...Which leaves Adrien and Marinette. Get to work."

While everyone else was shuffling around to move and sit beside their new partners, Adrien was frozen in place, overwhelmed by how much he did _not_ want to go through with the rest of this day. Or this week, for that matter, probably even longer than that.

"Yikes," Nino whispered unhelpfully as he got up to find Alix, but not before giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Adrien cautiously turned around to face his partner, seeing that Marinette was already getting out of her seat to take Nino's spot beside him. He wordlessly turned back around, now focusing almost too intently on turning on his tablet.

Their teacher passed out instructions for the assignment. Apparently they were supposed to pick a character from the play and choose four quotes that revealed something about the character's personality traits, explaining why.

Marinette was now sitting in Nino's seat. She focused on her tablet screen, ignoring him completely. _Okay_ , Adrien thought. _So this is how it's going to be._

He suddenly realized that having Chloe as his partner would have been better than _this_ awkward situation.

Nevertheless, they worked as they were supposed to. They were required to use a shared online document for the project, so Adrien was able to see exactly what Marinette was writing. It seemed that the two of them had been working _too_ hard, since Adrien and Marinette had finished with around twenty minutes left to spare.

Adrien had been reading Marinette's analysis, mainly because he was bored and concerned about his grade. Having momentarily forgotten about his current predicament, Adrien pointed out one of Marinette's mistakes.

"That quote is from scene three, not scene two. We can't use it," he said. He instantly regretted it.

"Then why don't you just go ahead and fix it yourself instead of criticizing me?" Marinette snapped, a very cold edge to her voice. Adrien suddenly missed the days when she would only stutter shyly when she spoke to him.

Adrien backfired with just as much edge. "Nice job taking _helpful_ advice as a personal insult."

It was almost as if they were back on a rooftop somewhere at night, verbally fighting as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Oh right, because you've never insulted anyone _ever_ ," she responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's rich, coming from the most manipulative backstabber I've ever met," Adrien retaliated.

"Are you seriously calling _me_ manipulative!?"

"What else do you call someone who pretends to be someone's friend for personal benefit?"

"—Sometimes the ends justify the mean _Adrien_ ," she said, saying his name like it was an insult.

"Okay, whatever lets you sleep at night, _backstabber,_ " Adrien retorted. "Just when I thought your hypocrisy couldn't get any worse—"

"Do I even need to _begin_ listing everything that you've done, _kitty-cat_?" Marinette fumed.

"Resorting to name-calling? Are you kidding me?" Adrien said incredulously. "And at least I own up to what I've done. You like to think you're so _innocent_. Well I say _buzz off_ , you stupid _pest_."

"The world be a better place if you would just _SHUT UP!_ " Marinette said angrily, banging a fist on the table.

Adrien jumped at the sudden loud turn their argument was taking. He looked around and noticed that the entire class was staring at them.

Then, out of nowhere, Chloe cackled loudly. "I knew it! I KNEW IT! It's time for all you _losers_ to pay up!"

Kim, Mylene, Juleka, Rose, Max, and to Adrien's surprise, even Alya began grudgingly searching through their pockets and bags.

Alya angrily slammed ten Euros into Chloe's hand, giving her a dirty look as she did. The rest of them just looked sad as they handed over their money.

"—What?" Nino began, who was just as confused about what was going on.

"I won the bet," Chloe declared loudly. "Everyone was so busy _fawning_ over what a 'perfect' couple Adrien and Marinette were, but I knew it wouldn't last. I told these guys that they would be over by the end of the year, and guess what? Of course I was right!"

"You _betted_ on us?" Adrien asked loudly.

"Enough! _Enough!_ " Madame Dubois finally interrupted. "Settle down, we're supposed to be working!" Then she turned to face Adrien and Marinette. "And you two," she began sharply. "This is a learning environment. You can both deal with your personal issues outside of this building after school is over. I don't want you distracting my class, do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame Dubois," they both muttered in unison.

"Good," she answered briskly.

The remainder of the class period went on in silence, and Adrien was left wondering how his simple suggestion had progressed into a full-blown argument so rapidly.

* * *

The rest of the day was embroiled in awkwardness, just as Marinette had feared. She and Alya, for the first time in months, ate lunch far away from their usual picnic table on the school grounds. It was getting cold anyway, as December was quickly approaching, so they ate lunch in the cafeteria even though they typically avoided it. The tables were packed with students, and as their luck would have it, the only table with any room was the one occupied by Nino and Adrien.

As she scanned the cafeteria for seats, her eyes caught Adrien's—turning red, she turned on her heels and quickly dragged Alya away from there, so they ended up eating in the library instead.

But the struggle did not end there.

Pre-calculus was her next class. Feeling physically sick as she sat down beside Adrien—there was not much she could do in the case of assigned seating—she prepared herself for yet another class period with her arch-nemesis.

They purposely avoided acknowledging each other, something that Marinette was quickly developing a habit of. Marinette remembered what math class used to be like before all of... _this_.

Adrien used to tell her math puns in an effort to cheer her up during her least favorite class. She had never been good at math. Her grades had been improving since Adrien used to always help her with whatever she didn't understand. His help had made all the difference, and she found herself not struggling with math as much as she used to.

Now there was a barrier between them, a certain coldness that assured her that things would never be the same again. She told herself over and over again that she was _fine_ with that idea, because she didn't need her enemy's help anyway. Requiring his help was a sign of weakness.

And to make it all even more unbearable, Marinette could practically _feel_ the eyes of Alya and Nino staring at the two of them anxiously from behind. She couldn't see either of them from where she was sitting, since she and Adrien were in the front, but she could just tell that neither of them could have been any more focused than she was.

Marinette didn't know why, but she found herself resisting a strong urge to glance at Adrien. She finally gave in, her eyes briefly flickering in his direction.

Adrien didn't seem to be paying attention. He looked exhausted and there were distinct bags under his eyes. Noticing them for the first time made her feel...odd.

Because _she_ was the reason he looked like this, so tired and so miserable. And sometimes she had to remind herself of the absurd reality that the boy she loved so much was the same boy she hated with an intense fervor. Shouldn't she feel _glad_ that she had reduced him to such a defeated state of being?

 _It_ _'s over,_ she told herself. Chat Noir was no more. Although she feared that he and Hawkmoth still had unfinished plans, all logic pointed towards the idea that she might never have to fight Chat or an Akuma ever again. Gabriel's plans had proven to be useless, according his Mrs. Agreste.

So did this mean…

Ladybug had won?

Marinette had dreamed of this day. The day she would realize that she would never have to put up with Chat Noir or an Akuma again. Marinette had imagined feeling elated and victorious, having sent Chat Noir and Hawkmoth to jail and saving Paris once and for all.

But that's not what had happened. Not at all.

For one, she couldn't bring herself to even _think_ of revealing Chat Noir's true identity to the press. The thought of Adrien in jail, robbed of his future and reputation brought her no joy at all. In fact it made her feel sick. Alya had suggested it to her the other day and Marinette had quickly put a stop to that train of thought.

Furthermore, even though she had 'won,' she felt defeated. She would rather still be oblivious to Chat Noir's identity and still be fighting him on a weekly basis than go through _this_.

But maybe...maybe she hadn't won.

Maybe neither of them had. Perhaps they had both lost.

Her head was pounding as she considered this all, the reason for her suffering sitting right next to her. She wondered if he was thinking about her too.

"Monsieur Franks," Marinette suddenly interrupted, feeling a desperate need to get out of here. Her teacher turned around and looked at her, an eyebrow raised in acknowledgement. She continued, "May I use to the restroom?"

He nodded as a 'yes' and proceeded with the lesson. Marinette got up from her seat and left, noticing that Adrien was watching her intently as she walked past.

* * *

After another awkward chemistry lesson with Adrien as her lab partner, her last class of the day, Marinette rushed towards the locker room so she could get home as quickly as possible. She couldn't stand being here any longer than she had to.

She grabbed the textbooks that she needed and closed her locker, only to overhear a conversation from the other side of her row. Since she had rushed here so early, it was only Marinette and two other people in the locker room.

"—But _Adrikins_ , we would have so much _fun_!" she heard Chloe say persistently.

"I can't, Chloe," Adrien said exasperatedly. "You know we can't screw up the seating charts. And besides, what about Kim? You're supposed to be going with him. We can't go to the dance together, it's too late."

Marinette experienced a sudden surge of anger and jealousy at Chloe's efforts. The _nerve_ of that girl! She hadn't wasted a _single day_ in trying to steal Adrien to be her date to the dance after finding out that they had 'broken up.'

"Puh- _lease_ , you know I can get anyone to do what I want. You think this is difficult?" she laughed.

"Don't waste your time," Adrien said flatly.

His indifference caused Chloe to snap. "Fine!" she shouted. "Take my kindness for granted! What's gotten into you?" Apparently Chloe wasn't used to Adrien not bending to her will.

She stormed off to leave the locker room, leaving Adrien just standing there. Sighing, he pulled out his phone and appeared to be texting someone.

Marinette waited anxiously for him to leave—she couldn't leave right now without Adrien noticing. She panicked, and as she peered over to check again if he had left, she dropped one of her books onto the floor.

 _Shit!_ Marinette thought internally. Adrien looked in her direction and their eyes met. The neutral expression on his face quickly turned into a smirk, and it appeared that he was not going to let this opportunity get away from him.

"Well well, look who's eavesdropping on her boyfriend," Adrien said, a mischievous glint in his eye. It was a look more characteristic of Chat than Adrien, so seeing it on Adrien's face was very unsettling.

Marinette was honestly _offended_ at his nerve.

"As if I care enough to eavesdrop on you," Marinette said, expressing her disgust. "Second of all, you are _not_ my boyfriend."

Adrien shrugged. "You never called it off officially."

"I didn't know there was an 'official' way of breaking up with someone," she fired back. "And if there is, consider it done."

"Whatever you say, _bugaboo_ ," he said in a lightly mocking tone. "You excited for the dance this Friday? I can't wait."

Marinette wanted to shove him against a locker and punch him right on his stupid, smug and (admittedly) attractive face. "I _was_ excited until I got stuck with _you_ as my date!"

He was toying with her. And he was _enjoying_ it.

"Such hurtful words," Adrien said in mock offense. "I would _hate_ to ruin your special night...nothing would upset me more…" but the smug, crooked smile on his face suggested otherwise.

Was _this_ his idea of petty revenge? It seemed that he wanted to ruin her life as Adrien rather than as Chat Noir, infiltrating her once relatively peaceful civilian life just by getting under her skin.

The "miraculous war" was seemingly over...so what the hell was _this_?

"Well, it was nice talking to you," Adrien said conversationally. "I mean, I didn't really get the chance since you were kind of busy cowering away from me... but it was nice! See you around," he said with an infuriatingly cheeky smile.

Marinette was so consumed with rage she hadn't managed to say anything else as Adrien walked away. Other students were now reaching their lockers, meanwhile Marinette was still trying to process Adrien's strange behavior.

This...this was war.

She didn't quite know what it entailed, but two could play that game. She wasn't going to let him walk all over her like that. Whatever game he was playing, Marinette decided to play it better.

 _I'm not done with you, Agreste,_ Marinette thought to herself. _You're going down once and for all._

* * *

A/N: This chapter took forever omg and I still think it sucks. :( The next ones should be very interesting though! Some of you left some very insightful comments on the last chapter and I really appreciate it, because I even included those ideas into this chapter! Guys I'm not even kidding, you could literally even give me an idea for a scene or an ending and if I like it I would totally include it in this story because I'm 100% making this up as I go along. Your comments could literally shape the rest of this story! Again, I apologize for the late update...y'all know my excuses already so I won't even bother. On another note, I rewrote the first chapter so if you wanna check it out go ahead. :) Thanks for reading guys, I truly love this story and I'm honestly so proud of it and how many people seem to be enjoying it. I love you all.

-Y

Also please follow me on tumblr! My Miraculous blog is mocharetti, just like my penname here. :)


	17. Tipping Point

The week was dragging on for what seemed like forever. Today was Thursday, but Marinette felt like the weekend should have arrived by now.

She tiredly opened her locker, feeling extremely sleep-deprived as she had spent most of the night finishing up her dress for the dance tomorrow.

Despite her lack of motivation to impress Adrien, which had been the case when she first started the dress, she had worked tirelessly to make the dress fit her vision of flawlessness. Marinette realized that the only motivation she needed was to impress herself. And she was proud to say that the dress she made turned out to be the best article of clothing she had ever created.

Marinette pulled out her textbooks and closed her locker, but ended up almost jumping in surprise as she did. Adrien had somehow managed to hide behind her opened locker without her noticing.

"Adrien!" she exclaimed, angry that he had somehow managed to sneak up on her. It wouldn't surprise her if he had done it on purpose. After all, the past few days had heavily consisted of Adrien making irritating comments directed at her, subtle name-calling, and general unpleasantness.

A few months ago she wouldn't believe that Adrien Agreste was capable of getting on her nerves. She was _literally_ putting up with Chat Noir for hours on end, far longer than what she was used to.

"Wow, you look terrible," he said casually, pointedly looking at the bags under her eyes. "Anyway, I forgot to ask—mainly because I don't actually care—what color is your dress? Everyone's going to be matching their partner so I guess we should do it too."

Marinette was internally seething at how calmly he said all of this, like his rudeness towards her meant absolutely nothing. It was quite jarring, when she thought about it too much—that this was her same Adrien from last week who would have literally fought someone for saying something even vaguely mean to her.

"Go away," she said nonchalantly, too tired to even come up with a witty comeback to his simple question. Ignoring him, Marinette shoved her books into her bag and began walking towards homeroom. She was furious that Adrien was following her, but grudgingly remembered that he was going to the same room.

"Just tell me and I'll be out of your way," he persisted with an eye-roll.

"Red!" she responded shortly, desperate to get away from him. She just wanted him to leave her _alone_.

Adrien was grinning at her, much to her extreme annoyance. "Red, huh…" Adrien said slowly, walking beside her but purposely inching closer towards her. "That color _does_ suit you." He was practically smirking.

"Ugh!" Marinette said disgustedly, speed-walking away from him and finally arriving to homeroom. She wanted to punch Adrien in the face. Then again, she reminded herself, technically it wouldn't be the first time.

* * *

As Adrien walked into homeroom, he was met with an unusual sight. Nino and Alya were whispering to each other, which was odd considering they hadn't spoken to each other since last week. When they saw Adrien and Marinette walk in, they abruptly stopped their conversation.

Even Marinette had noticed. Adrien saw her eyeing her friend suspiciously as she set down her backpack.

Adrien arrived at his usual seat, shortly joined by Nino who hadn't even bothered to greet him as he normally would.

"Why were you talking to Alya?" Adrien whispered as soon as Nino sat down.

Nino ignored him. This only made Adrien annoyed and more persistent. "Nino!" he whispered again, this time a little more loudly.

"We were talking about _you!"_ Nino responded, an accusatory look in his eyes.

Adrien was shocked. "Me? Why...why would you be talking about _me_?"

Nino gave an exasperated sigh, as if the reason should have been blatantly obvious. "Because you're being a dick to Marinette! Like, I know you guys are clearly having issues right now, but seriously? Could you maybe turn down the assholery a notch? We would all appreciate it."

"I...I'm not…" Adrien said, knowing too well that his defense was useless. He hated to admit it, but he _had_ been going overboard with his "brilliant," mainly petty plan to get under Marinette's skin.

His reasons for this were unclear even to himself. Adrien just knew that he was frustrated. He was angry that Alya and Marinette were dead-set on making him feel like he was solely responsible for this entire mess, that he was some sort of evil, merciless villain that Adrien knew he wasn't.

Marinette had completely given up on him; she hadn't even considered giving him a chance despite knowing the entirety of his reasons for becoming Chat Noir and how much it involved his parents.

And furthermore, Adrien didn't want Marinette to feel like she had somehow "won." He had never succeeded in taking her miraculous, and now there was no reason for him to do so. There was a spiteful part of him that refused to give up, refused to accept that this battle between them was finally over.

The morning bell had finally rung, and class resumed as usual. Adrien tried to focus on his work while attempting to push his guilt aside.

* * *

"So, you and Nino are talking again?" Marinette asked conversationally, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. He had, after all, sided with the enemy.

Alya shrugged. "I guess so. He's also pissed off at how Adrien is treating you." The two girls were walking to their final class together; chemistry.

They entered the classroom, and Marinette noticed that their teacher was nowhere to be seen. Of course, this entailed that the entire class was out of their seats and socializing.

Alya and Marinette walked towards the back of the classroom where their lab station was located. Each station consisted of two pairs, and due to terrible decision-making on their part earlier in the year, Adrien was Marinette's lab partner.

Marinette set her books down onto the lab table, ignoring Adrien who was leaning back onto the wall behind him with his feet resting comfortably on the table. He seemed to be finishing up his homework last minute and didn't look up to the sound of her approaching.

She was frustrated at how difficult it was to stop thinking about him when he was always just _there_. Everywhere she went, everywhere she turned, there he was.

And oddly enough, Adrien hadn't really spoken to her since this morning. Whatever Nino had said to him must have made a difference; Adrien's rude behavior was noticeably absent.

"What's everyone looking at?" Nino asked from across the lab table, looking curiously at his classmates who were huddled around Alix, all looking at something on her phone.

"Oh my _god,_ " Juleka laughed in surprise, as did the other classmates around her. Marinette was starting to wonder what all the commotion was about too.

"I still can't believe this is real," Max piped up. "Video editing is certainly not uncommon…"

"No, it's real. It's totally them," Kim confirmed.

"Oh no," Marinette heard Alya mutter to herself. Marinette was suddenly under the impression that Alya knew what everyone was looking at.

"Let me see," Marinette said, getting up from her seat to join the group.

"No!" Alya suddenly said, grabbing her arm. "It's probably just something stupid, don't worry about it—" she insisted, but this only made Marinette more curious. She heard Adrien get up behind her too.

Ignoring Alya, Marinette grabbed Alix's phone from Rose and looked at the title. What she read made her blood run cold. **"Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing on a rooftop**." Underneath the title, the video was marked as #1 trending in all of France.

Horrified, she played the video. Just then she noticed that Adrien was standing right behind her and watching too.

It happened just as she remembered. Thankfully, the video didn't have any sound; it was just security footage. The landlord of the building must have found this footage and decided to upload it onto the internet in hopes of cashing in.

She witnessed the brief fight that ensued followed by the dreadfully long kiss. Marinette remembered, with a considerable amount of shame, just how much she had enjoyed it.

Marinette quickly handed the phone back to Alix and walked back to her seat, feeling humiliated that the entire world could now witness one of her biggest mistakes. She avoided looking at Adrien as she made her way back, but couldn't resist wondering how he felt about this while at the same time blaming him for this mess altogether.

Adrien was still standing among the group of classmates. Marinette glanced in his direction, and was suddenly horrified that their eyes met. His expression was unreadable. But then she noticed his mouth slowly forming into a small, otherwise unnoticeable smirk before he looked away. A sense of panic began to overwhelm her.

"Guys, do you know what this means?" Adrien said, addressing his classmates. Marinette wanted to tackle him before he could say anything else. "Maybe we can't trust Ladybug after all," he said in a hushed tone. "I mean, who knows! Maybe she's sided with Chat Noir! Just look at the evidence," he said, gesturing towards his phone in his hand.

"Please," Chloe said with an eye-roll. It wasn't like Chloe to challenge Adrien—Marinette wondered if she was still bitter about being rejected by him for the fundraiser dance—"Ladybug would _never_ side with Chat Noir! I mean, she has nothing to gain from teaming up with that mangy menace!"

"I don't know, Chloe," Adrien said in fake wonderment—Marinette was infuriated that everyone seemed to be falling for his lies— "I mean, imagine all the banks they could rob together. Ladybug and Chat Noir would be unstoppable, they'd be rich. I wouldn't be too surprised if Paris' favorite superhero chose money over honor. You know how it is in this economy—"

"Students!" Madame Moreau barked, entering the classroom. Marinette had never been relieved to see her teacher in her life.

The students did as they were told, and while Adrien walked back to his seat right beside her, Marinette was glaring at him. She was consumed with seething rage, and was resisting the immense temptation to hit him. But of course, she couldn't cause a scene. Not here, at least.

Nino and Alya also looked furious at Adrien. It seemed that Adrien had already overstepped his boundaries with Nino due to his new abrasive attitude. It sickened her, watching him act this way; whatever had been left of Adrien was gone, and in his place was Chat Noir, just without the mask and suit.

* * *

Marinette was still furious at Adrien for what he had said to their classmates. The school day had ended, so she was fumbling with the lock on her locker, too distracted by her rage to even get her combination right.

This video was a problem, Marinette thought anxiously. Adrien was only adding fuel to the rumors that Ladybug and Chat Noir were somehow allied together. This would not bode well with the public. Paris trusted Ladybug—of course people were going to be shocked after seeing her make out with public enemy number one.

Marinette finally opened her locker and shoved the textbooks she didn't need inside. As she closed it, she noticed Adrien walk past, and suddenly couldn't stop herself from following in pursuit.

"Adrien!" she shouted, catching not only his attention but also that of the few people in the locker room.

Adrien turned around and faced her, looking surprised that she wanted to confront him. What she did next caught him completely off guard.

Marinette shoved him against a locker. Adrien just stared at her in shock; _looks like the tables have turned_ , Marinette thought with satisfaction, recalling all those times that Chat Noir had cornered her like this.

"What do you want? Let me go!" Adrien hissed, trying to fight his way out of this situation, also looking panicked that onlookers were now gathering.

"Spreading rumors about Ladybug, are we?" Marinette whispered, just loud enough for only the two of them to hear. "Last time I checked, she wants nothing to do with you."

Adrien chuckled nervously. "The public doesn't know that. Now they know you're not this _perfect_ , heroic person that you pretend to be—"

"Oh, like you're some sort of _upstanding_ citizen!" she said, their faces unnaturally close to each other.

"Shut up, like _you_ don't know the whole story...you _know_ why I did everything," Adrien whispered angrily. Each and every word he spoke was as if he was spitting venom. "Except you're too _selfish_ , too self-pitying to understand! No, everything has to be about _you_ and how _you_ feel. And you know what, I couldn't care less! Go cry and hate me forever...see if I care—" but Adrien was cut off by a sudden change in Marinette's tone.

"Stop…" Marinette interrupted, barely above a whisper. Her tears were betraying her. "Please stop hurting me." She suddenly regretted this—she should not have confronted Adrien so impulsively.

"Marinette…?" Adrien said, looking surprised. His voice was softer this time.

She aggressively let go of him, hastily wiped her tears and headed off towards the doors without another word.

* * *

When Adrien arrived home, he wanted to just throw himself into a dumpster because that's where he felt like he belonged. He had not been prepared for this. He had not been prepared for Marinette to react that way.

For the past two years, Adrien had fought Ladybug with self-assured conviction. She was a strong opponent. She would merely laugh at his threats and kick his ass like it was no big deal. And finding out that Marinette was Ladybug...well, naturally, he now saw the two girls as one.

And that's why he had continued with all of it—the taunts, the attitude...because he was dealing with Ladybug. And Ladybug was strong and unshaken by these kinds of things.

Adrien threw his backpack onto his bed, then trudged on over to his computer desk. He collapsed onto the chair and watched as Plagg situated himself on top of the monitor.

"You're a good kid, Adrien," Plagg said after a few moments of deafening, reflective silence.

Adrien just chuckled bitterly. Marinette was right. He _was_ evil. Irredeemable. He had kept hurting Marinette out of pettiness and bitterness. As if losing his mother again, his father's worsened attitude, and finding out that Marinette was Ladybug justified how he had treated her.

He kept playing the game between Chat Noir and Ladybug even after it was all over, even after everything had changed. Marinette...Ladybug...she wasn't unbreakable. Even if she pretended like she was.

"I think you understand what you did wrong," Plagg said, staring at him curiously. Adrien wondered if Plagg could somehow read his mind. After all, they _were_ linked to some extent.

"You know what they say…" Plagg continued. "The worst kind of hurt comes from the people you love."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. "Are you saying she...that she loves me?" Plagg was way smarter than he usually let on, but this was ridiculous. As if Marinette could ever forgive him, as if she could ever love Chat Noir…

"Who am I to say?" Plagg said, sighing in boredom. "But I've lived with plenty of Chat Noirs with certain..uh, _romantic_ tendencies towards Ladybugs and maybe I know a thing or two. You humans are painfully predictable, you know."

"But you said I'm the first Chat Noir to be an enemy to Ladybug," Adrien said desperately. "Those patterns don't apply to Marinette and I."

"Look kid, I'm just spitballing here," Plagg said. "Anyway, this kind of talk makes me hungry...hit me up with some camembert would you? I think I deserve it today...bleurgh…"

"Plagg…" Adrien said, his voice hoarse and his heart heavy. It was like he had realized something that he had already known for ages. "I think...I think I love her."

* * *

A/N: Once again I'm updating painfully slow...anyway, just wanted to point out that this month marks the 1 year anniversary of this fic! Also...Adrien redeems himself soon, don't worry. He's a confused boy who has got a lot going on. I've decided that this fic will be 20 chapters long. The next two chapters will be devoted to the school dance, and let me just say, there's going to be A LOT going on at the dance. Consider it the climax of this story after the reveal. Also, because this story is ending soon I would love it if you could drop a kudo if you haven't already, since I really want to get to 1,000 before the end. Also pleaseeee comment! I know I'm super slow at responding to all of them but I appreciate each and every one.

-Y


	18. Day of the Dance

Marinette stared at her reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing herself. Sabine Cheng had really outdone herself—Marinette would never have been able to pull off this elaborate braided hairstyle, nor this seemingly professional level of makeup. The winged eyeliner, the cut-crease eyeshadow, and the perfectly-plucked eyebrows; it was all just too perfect.

"Maman, this is... _incredible_. Wow," she said, trying to remember the last time she had felt this beautiful.

Sabine beamed. "Well, honey, what can I say! You're already so pretty, there really wasn't much to do anyway."

"You're only saying that because you're my mom," Marinette said, rolling her eyes. She knew for a fact that that she never looked this good without makeup. Not to mention, there was the effect of the beautiful dress that Marinette had worked so hard on.

She admired her creation once more in the mirror. It was a lovely shade of wine red, touching the floor with a rumpled effect that was meant to look like a bunch of roses. It was tightly fitted near the middle, but not to the point of discomfort; it accentuated her waist and slight curves.

Initially, Marinette had opted to make it sleeveless and strapless, but ended up adding elbow-length sleeves last minute for a touch of elegance, also remembering that she would rather not be freezing since it was now the beginning of winter.

Marinette smiled to herself. She had never been prouder of any of her creations, and secretly hoped that other people would appreciate her hard work too.

She grabbed her phone off her desk and checked the time; the dance would begin in less than an hour, and Marinette was worried that Alya and Nino would show up late. Due to the unfortunate turn in events, she had planned on carpooling with them instead of her…"date." She dared not even think of his name.

Just then, Marinette blinked in surprise as a text from Alya appeared on her screen.

 _Alya: I'm so sorry Mari! Nino and I just arrived at the dance and idk why he didn't stop at your place! He won't tell me and I don't know what's going on? Don't worry I'll punch him for you if you want_

 _Marinette: That won't be necessary. I'll just have my dad drop me off or something_

Marinette's heart sank. Why would Nino purposely avoid picking her up after they had specifically made plans to carpool together? And besides, nobody liked getting dropped off at a fancy school dance held at the most luxurious hotel ballroom in Paris by their _parents_. If Chloe saw her, there was no doubt she would be ridiculed…

Sighing, Marinette slipped her phone into her clutch purse, and was about to tell her mother the news when she heard her father call from downstairs.

"Marinette, your ride is here!" Tom said loudly.

Marinette stared at her mother in confusion. Hadn't Alya just texted her moments ago? Nino and Alya were already at the hotel. Nobody was coming to pick her up... _unless_...

She felt as if someone had dumped cold water onto her as the realization hit. No... _anyone_ but him…

"Come downstairs, he's waiting!" Tom said again.

Marinette closed her eyes, trying to calm her increasingly unsteady breaths and balling her hands into fists. "Coming, Papa," she answered.

Sabine was staring at her in concern. "But aren't you and Adrien…?" she said questioningly.

Not knowing how to possibly answer, and chuckling darkly to herself at how her mother might react if she knew the complete truth, Marinette simply shrugged and then began climbing down the ladder. Her red heels lightly touched the ground with a _thud_ , and she braced herself for the worst as she headed down the hallway. Sabine followed behind her.

"There she is!" Tom beamed as she entered the living room.

She quickly glanced at Adrien and coldly looked away, instead focusing her efforts on smiling at her father as he stared at her dress with a thoroughly impressed look on his face.

"Oho!" Tom exclaimed. "So _this_ is what you've been working on all those weeks! Sweetheart, I don't even have the right words, it's—"

"—Stunning," Adrien interrupted. Marinette finally looked back at him, furious at his pathetic attempt to make a good impression on her parents. She didn't know if that impressed, captivated look on his face was genuine or feigned, but considering his snakelike tendencies she was sure it was the latter.

"Thank you, Adrien," she responded in a light yet dismissive tone. Then she beamed back at her father. "And I'm so glad you like it, Papa!"

"Like it? I love it! Why, this looks better than anything those famous designers are coming up with these days—oh, well, no offense to your father, Adrien..." Tom chuckled heartily, patting him on the back. Her father, unaware of his strength as usual, didn't seem to notice Adrien nearly buckle over as he did.

"None taken, Mr. Dupain," Adrien said lightheartedly.

Marinette was desperately trying to avoid looking at him, but it was too hard. He was wearing perhaps the most expensive suit of the Agreste formal line, and it looked perfect on him, as if it was designed specifically for him. And for all she knew, maybe it was. It was tightly fitted, complementing his tall and lean figure. His hair was somehow neat and messy at the same time, making him look frustratingly handsome.

 _If I didn't know who he really was, I would be swooning right now,_ Marinette thought angrily, wondering why dazzling beauty was wasted on terrible people. Why couldn't Adrien just be ugly? Was that too much to ask for?

"We need pictures before you leave!" Sabine said, suddenly, dashing off towards the kitchen to grab her phone. Marinette was already exasperated by all of this—her parents silently gushing over Adrien, who they had unfortunately taken a liking to since the moment they met, their willful obliviousness to the breakup, and the simple fact that _Chat Noir_ was in her living room, in her very house, and also her date to the winter dance.

Her mother returned, phone in hand. She waved her hand and motioned for her and Adrien to move closer together in front of the door. Marinette grudgingly moved in just a step, but Adrien insisted on closing the gap between them entirely. Then he put an arm around her and lightly held her elbow, smiling effortlessly at the camera, and Marinette wanted to scream.

"Marinette, you look stiff as a board! And is that the best smile you've got?" Sabine demanded.

She smiled wider, but was certain that it looked more like a grimace. This felt like some sort of punishment. She was _so_ uncomfortable…

" _Wider_ , honey…" Tom said, and she made a small attempt at a genuine smile. Finally, the torture was over and she stepped away from Adrien as her mother was done taking pictures.

"It was so nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien said, acting as his usual, charming self. Marinette tried her best not to scoff at his behavior. If only her parents knew who they were talking to...they wouldn't let him get anywhere near her….

"A pleasure as always, Adrien!" Sabine said, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "Please, don't hesitate to come visit anytime! In fact, drop by at the bakery when you can, you can have anything you want free of charge—"

"Thank you for the generosity, Mrs. Cheng, I'll keep that in mind," Adrien responded with a captivating, seemingly genuine smile. "You're both too kind."

Tom waved as the pair turned to head out the door. "Goodbye you two, have a wonderful time!" Sabine closed the door as they stepped outside, and the minute it did Marinette finally let it all out.

"So _nice_ to meet you! You're both too _kind_!" Marinette mocked viciously as they walked towards Adrien's limousine.

Adrien merely glanced at her, not saying a word as they walked.

"I should take acting lessons from you. I'm sure it's not easy to act that fake!" she continued ruthlessly. "And why are you even here? Nino and Alya were supposed to pick me up, but instead I get you and your stupid fancy limo. God, I guess robbing banks pays off, huh? How else could you afford a limo—"

"Are you done yet?" Adrien asked irritably, opening the door to the limousine and motioning for her to go inside.

Taken aback by his lack of response, Marinette silently went into the limo and sat down at the back end next to the window. Despite there being plenty of room to leave a gap in between them, Adrien squeezed in right beside her at the center.

Marinette saw the driver glance at them from his mirror, and the limo began to move. She suddenly felt very hot, and did not like her proximity to Adrien. Marinette moved a few inches even closer to the edge. Adrien seemed to notice, but did not follow.

After an uncomfortable silence, Adrien finally spoke. "You look _paw_ -sitively beautiful."

It was like his compliment had slapped her in the face. It was unexpected, so genuine, and so...cheesy (was that a pun?) that Marinette was left absolutely speechless. She was silent for the next few moments.

"I—I don't know what you're trying to do, but you should stop," Marinette said, her voice shaking slightly. _Why_ would he say that?

He laughed. "Oh, bugaboo," he said, attempting to sound light-hearted and nudging her slightly. "I'm not trying to do anything. We're going to a dance. Just relax, would you?"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. Stupid Chat and his stupid pet names—last time he had called her that, he was threatening her with his claws at her neck.

 _"_ _Come on, bugaboo," he had purred into her ears, holding her tightly against her will. The nickname was meant to taunt her, to make her feel weak. "Give me your miraculous, and I won't hurt you…"_

She scrutinized him, eyes narrowed at his feigned innocence. Hadn't he promised to make this night as bad as possible for her? She dared not ask what he had planned in case he had forgotten about his threat.

He hummed, tapping his fingers on the armrest and glancing at her occasionally. The contrast between his seemingly relaxed demeanor and her alertness almost left no room for awkwardness, but rather an air of uncertainty.

"You told Nino not to pick me up, didn't you," Marinette said accusingly. It wasn't even a question. The moment she realized this, she knew it had to be true.

"That's right," he said matter-of-factly. "You're my date. Of course I was going to pick you up."

Marinette scoffed at him. "Yeah, well I didn't want you to."

"I wanted to," he countered.

"And why is that?" she glared.

"Because...I just did. Deal with it."

"Whatever."

The rest of the ride was spent in an uncomfortable silence, Marinette having run out of accusations and Adrien having run out of unexpected compliments.

Soon enough, they had arrived at their destination. A tall, gleaming hotel that combined modern and traditional French architecture welcomed visitors as they reached the cul-de-sac driveway. Owned by none other than Mayor Bourgeois, its extravagance was hardly missed as Marinette stared out the window in awe.

Adrien's driver got out and walked towards the back door. He opened it, and Adrien gestured for her to get out first.

By the time they had both exited the limousine, the door being shut by Adrien's driver behind them, Marinette realized that they were both a few minutes late. There was no one else arriving at the moment other than them.

Adrien seemed to have noticed too. "Looks like we'll have to make a grand entrance."

Feeling resentful at the prospect of having to enter the ballroom with Adrien at her side, she said nothing as she walked towards the doors.

* * *

The ballroom wasn't just grand, it was _extravagant_. Marinette was at a loss for words as she stood at the top of the carpeted, curved staircase that led towards the main floor where all the tables were. A massive, sparkling chandelier hung from the ceiling directly in the middle of the room. There were Roman-style columns around the edges of the room, where there were large doors leading elsewhere in the hotel.

Adrien, on the other hand, who was probably used to this kind of grandeur, seemed unfazed by all of this. He merely held out his arm as he looked pointedly towards the stairs.

"We should probably link arms or something as we go downstairs. It's standard protocol," he said.

Marinette couldn't resist yet another tounge-in-cheek insult. "Oh right, I forgot you switched personas from petty supervillain to an expert on snobby elite culture."

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, exaggerated breath. "Every time you talk it takes off an hour of my life."

"In that case, I should talk more."

"Whatever! Let's get this over with," Adrien said bitterly. They took a moment to awkwardly link arms and he led her towards the stairs.

Marinette, putting on the fakest smile she could muster, walked down the grand staircase with Adrien beside her. She saw all the faces of her classmates and other people she didn't recognize from her school turn to look towards the pair. Marinette wondered if it was normal for them to be staring so much.

When Marinette and Adrien had started dating, she had to endure a lot of staring and whispers aimed at her. Adrien was, after all, kind of a celebrity. After the class had witnessed their argument and her purposeful attempts at avoiding Adrien, this had generated even more rumors and whispers.

A hopeful part of her wondered if they were staring at her dress rather than contemplating the rumors surrounding her and Adrien's (now nonexistent) relationship.

They finally reached their table, where Nino and Alya were already sitting. Even they were staring.

"Marinette, you look gorgeous!" Alya said the moment that Marinette sat down. "I can't believe you _made_ that dress! No wonder you wouldn't let me see it…"

"It's incredible, Mari," Nino nodded in agreement.

Blushing, Marinette thanked them for their compliments but couldn't help but notice that they seemed to be disregarding Adrien completely, as if he wasn't even there. Nino may have agreed to his friend's request to not pick her up, but it didn't seem like they had reconciled.

She briefly glanced towards her "date," feeling slightly crestfallen at seeing Adrien's blank expression as he stared at a napkin in his hand. He didn't seem like he wanted to be here. She suddenly felt foolish for suspecting that he might actually put forth the effort to make this a bad night for her.

On the contrary, he had so far gone out of his way to make her happy. A limousine ride to a school dance? Many teenagers would give anything for that experience...

Marinette had not been expecting this sudden wave of sympathy for her arch-nemesis. As if a few empty compliments and a limousine ride made up for all those times he had actually tried to physically _assault_ her and threaten to _murder_ her, despite her increasing certainty that he was just putting on an act and trying to scare her all those times.

She pushed away these conflicting thoughts and directed her attention towards the stage, where Principal Damocles was joined by a group of rich donors who were contributing to the school's fundraiser efforts for the community.

"I see your father's not here, Adrien," Alya sneered, as if reading Marinette's thoughts. "Shame, all of that criminal money and he couldn't spare some for people in need?"

Adrien looked up and glared at her. It appeared that he was about to say something, but instead pursed his lips and said nothing.

They were silenced anyway by the sound of their principal tapping the microphone, and the chatter of the students quickly dissipated into silence.

"Good evening, my dear students!" he began, and began introducing the donors. Each one gave a relatively lengthy speech explaining their motivation and thankfulness towards the school's efforts, and Marinette struggled to maintain her attentiveness. Her mind kept wandering towards the boy sitting beside her.

Her attention returned, however, when a familiar name popped up.

"...And I would also like to thank none other than Gabriel Agreste, who has generously donated £100,000 to this fundraiser! Unfortunately, he could not attend this splendid event today, so I would appreciate it if his son, Adrien, could stand on his father's behalf."

Adrien stood up as instructed, putting on a convincing, dazzling smile and waved briefly at his classmates as they applauded.

"Thank you for your family's wonderful generosity, Mr. Agreste!" Principal Damocles said as Adrien sat down.

Marinette glanced at Alya who appeared somewhat pissed off. She was glaring at Adrien with mistrust evident on her face.

Even Marinette wondered why he hadn't disputed Alya's accusation just a few minutes before. Was her enemy purposely trying to put on a benign facade in an effort to throw her off guard? What was he up to?

Marinette wondered if her paranoia would ever go away until Adrien was out of her life for good.

* * *

Pretty soon, Principal Damocles had called up all members of student council to the stage. Marinette joined the group, looking more beautiful than Adrien had ever seen her.

Her dark red dress flowed behind her as she walked, resembling a bouquet of roses. Adrien was still amazed at her ability to create the dress from scratch. He didn't think even his father could have made something that beautiful despite years of experience.

He continued to gaze longingly at the way she smiled towards everyone from the stage.

Ladybug had never known that all those times he told her she looked dazzling or cute before or during a battle, he hadn't been taunting her or playing tricks on her mind: he had always meant it. It was just his lousy way of expressing his deeply suppressed and conflicting feelings.

Adrien wished she she knew that he had never wanted to be her enemy. Even before he had known that Ladybug was Marinette, all he wanted was to at least, _at the very least,_ be her friend, but given their circumstances that was impossible. Adrien had fallen for Ladybug since the day they met. And he had fallen so, _so_ hard, but she refused to catch him.

Adrien stared at Marinette the whole time as their principal spoke, barely even processing what he was saying. When the speech was over, Marinette returned to the table looking quite flustered.

"Being on a stage with everyone watching is so nerve-wracking," she sighed.

"They probably weren't even looking specifically at you," Nino reassured her. Adrien silently disagreed. He hadn't looked at anyone else.

"Nonsense!" Alya said. "Of course they were! How could they not? You look spectacular and everyone's probably wondering where you got that dress, because they don't know how much of an amazing designer you are yet."

Their conversation was interrupted by Principal Damocles speaking yet again, this time dismissing them from their tables and commencing the actual dance. They filed off towards the ballroom area, away from the tables.

"No food first? I'm starving!" Nino complained.

Alya laughed. "Come on, I've been practicing some moves."

The couple sped off towards the crowd, leaving Adrien and Marinette alone. Adrien should have expected the awkwardness to follow, since that seemed to be a standard occurrence between them now.

"So...I assume you don't want to dance?" Adrien said. A small part of him held the feeble hope that she might give him a chance.

"You assumed right," Marinette said, speeding up to walk away from him.

Adrien sighed to himself, watching as she walked away towards Nino and Alya. He didn't know what to do. Everyone was heading towards the dance floor, and he was left alone. All of his friends had abandoned him.

 _It could be worse..._ Adrien thought miserably. His friends could have ratted him out and sent him to jail if they wanted to...him _and_ his father…

Adrien watched as the music started. His classmates seemed like they were having a good time. They were all in groups and pairs, and he was pretty much the only one left alone.

Well... _almost_ the only one. He glanced towards the edge of the dance floor, where Chloe was standing, looking quite affronted. Kim was dancing half-heartedly with Max and a few others, casting furtive glances towards Chloe every now and then. It seemed that he and Marinette weren't the only pair having issues.

Perhaps it was just pure, desperate loneliness that compelled him to walk towards Chloe. Not only was she an old friend, there was something very appealing about talking to someone who didn't know his secret and therefore couldn't judge him for it.

"Hey," Adrien said casually. Chloe brightened up instantly.

"Adrikins!" she said, her eyes wide with surprise. Of course, it had to be _that very moment_ that the music changed from pop to a slow dance.

"Dance with me," he said without thinking. Adrien didn't need to ask twice. Chloe seemed all too eager.

But it wasn't Chloe he was focused on. As he danced with her, his eyes searched the crowd for Marinette. He spotted her not too far away, She seemed awkward standing there, since Nino and Alya were now dancing with each other.

Somehow, their eyes met. Marinette had seen him dancing with Chloe, and a rush of satisfaction overcame him. He quickly looked away, and then smiled at Chloe. Adrien wanted to make it seem like he was having the time of his life.

* * *

Marinette was _furious_. When she had seen Adrien and Chloe slow-dancing together, the world shifted beneath her feet. She suddenly felt sick.

 _Why do I care?_ Marinette asked herself frustratedly. It made absolutely no sense. There was no reason for her to feel this way.

 _He's my date..._ Marinette thought to herself defensively. _Buf he's Chat Noir..._ she reminded herself. Why the hell should she care who her _enemy_ was dancing with? _But it's Chloe!_ she whined in her head.

Marinette was enraged not only at him, but at herself for feeling this way. She was jealous. She had never felt so jealous before. How could he have possibly known that dancing with Chloe could hurt her this way? It wouldn't be out of character for him to do something with the sole intention of hurting her, but Marinette had been pretty clear about her repulsion towards him.

Maybe it didn't have anything to do with her, and somehow that thought only made her feel worse...

"M-Marinette?" a timid voice said from practically out of nowhere. It was the tomato-haired Nathaniel.

"Nathaniel!" Marinette said, surprised at his appearance. "Are you...enjoying yourself?" she continued, trying to prompt a polite conversation.

Nathaniel blinked, then smiled nervously. "I am…" he said, then added "I really like your dress."

"Thanks! You know, I made it myself," she couldn't help but brag a little. She was glad that this brief conversation was distracting her from what she had just seen.

And then it suddenly hit her…the perfect revenge…

"Nathaniel! You should dance with me," Marinette said. He looked extremely flustered.

"You want to d-dance? With me?" he said, turning almost as red as his hair.

"Yes, who else?" she said impatiently. "Come on!"

Marinette led him towards the center of the dance floor, holding on tightly to his arm. They maneuvered through the dancing pairs and stopped at the middle. They began to dance to the music, slowly swaying to the rhythm.

Marinette was only subconsciously focused on her movement. Her attention was entirely focused on looking for Adrien. Finally, she spotted him not too far away, still holding on to Chloe and...much to her disgust, _smiling_ at her.

She moved herself and Nathaniel closer towards Adrien and Chloe, trying to be as subtle as possible. She was finally within a reasonable distance where Adrien would _definitely_ see her. Preparing herself for when he did, she began to whisper a conversation with her dancing partner, making an effort to smile and look as interested as possible.

"I like the way you did your hair today. It looks nice," Marinette said, returning his earlier compliment on her dress.

Nathaniel looked even redder than before. "Thank you," he said, not even looking at her. She wished he looked more confident—how could she make Adrien jealous if Nathaniel looked like he would rather be anywhere than with her?

Marinette glanced towards Adrien once more, and she was not prepared for the sudden eye contact. She stepped on Nathaniel's foot in surprise.

"Ow!" he said, at which Marinette began to apologize profusely.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, and for which action, she wasn't quite sure. For stepping on his leg or using him as a prop to get Adrien's attention? The guilt was eating her alive. Marinette wasn't used to this kind of petty behavior, as it went completely against how she was raised.

"It's okay," Nathaniel assured her. "I know how clumsy you are," he chuckled.

"Uh, yeah…" Marinette laughed lightly, habitually glancing back towards Adrien a few moments later. She hoped he hadn't seen her stepping on Nathaniel's foot.

Unfortunately, Nathaniel had seemed to notice and looked crestfallen. "You miss him, don't you."

Marinette stared at him in surprise. "Who?" she demanded, although she knew the answer.

"Adrien. You keep looking at him, hoping he'll notice you," he said quietly.

"I do _not_ miss him," Marinette said stubbornly. "I don't like Adrien anymore. There were...there were issues in our relationship that we could never resolve."

Nathaniel did not seem convinced. "But despite those issues, you still want each other. He keeps looking towards you too. He's trying to make you jealous by dancing with Chloe just like you're trying to do with me."

Marinette was shocked by his words. She couldn't remember the last time she had a real conversation with this quiet yet nonetheless sweet boy. She was also aware of the rumors that he had a crush on her, but was never sure that they were true. But for him to be analyzing her actions with such accuracy...she could never have expected it.

"Nathaniel…" she began, wanting to apologize again, but he merely smiled reassuringly.

"You don't have to apologize again. The heart wants what it wants, there's nothing we can do about that. And the only time we should chase love is if it even has a chance of being reciprocated."

Marinette wasn't about to explain to her classmate the level of dislike she had towards Adrien or why their "issues" were a thousand times more complex than he thought, but his sentiment was well-meaning and sweet.

"Thank you, Nathaniel. I don't...I don't even know what to say to that," Marinette admitted. Just then, the most switched to a pop song, so they both stopped dancing.

"I hope you have a nice night, Marinette," Nathaniel said. "And maybe you should work things out with Adrien. It might make you happier."

 _Fat chance,_ Marinette thought, but she smiled at him anyway. "I'll consider it, wise boy," she chuckled.

* * *

"Are you going to get that or not?" Chloe demanded, right when the music changed. Adrien was somewhat relieved to let go of her. His hands were starting to sweat too.

His phone continued buzzing profusely in his pocket, and he hadn't bothered to pick it up. Adrien was absolutely certain it was his father, and he was in no mood to talk the cold, distant man who he just so happened to share DNA with.

Except it had been buzzing nonstop. It wasn't like his father to try calling him so many times. He always made a conscious effort to hide any sort of desperation.

Having enough, Adrien walked away from the dance floor and towards a more quiet corner. He pulled out his cell phone and answered it.

"What?" Adrien demanded, trying to mimic his father's own bitterness.

"She's coming," Gabriel said breathlessly. "You need to get out of there. And…and Ladybug too...I have reason to believe she's with you...just go right now!"

His father sounded frantic. It was so unlike him, and this alone was enough to panic him.

"Who's coming? What the hell are you talking about?" Adrien asked urgently.

"Your mother! She took my miraculous and she knows where you are! And she won't stop until she has those miraculouses too! Her...those _people_...they'll be with her. You need to watch out for an Akuma _and_ those goons...Now stop asking questions and do as you're told!" Gabriel said, suddenly hanging up on him.

Adrien's blood ran cold at the news. His mother was after his miraculous. And Marinette's, too...she knew who Ladybug was so there was no point in hiding this information from Marinette, otherwise she would be in danger.

"Oh boy," Plagg said, peeking out from his tuxedo pocket. He seemed just as concerned as Adrien.

He was _not_ about to give up Plagg. Adrien couldn't imagine giving up his life as Chat Noir or his kwami. They had just begun to get along, and Adrien had considered some better alternative uses for his super powers.

He wasn't about to let his _mother_ , of all people, take that away from him. Or Marinette.

"Wish me luck, Plagg," Adrien sighed, already dreading the idea of having to convince Marinette to leave with him.

Not knowing how much time he had left, Adrien rushed back towards the dance floor, scanning the crowd for Marinette. All of the movement was making it difficult to spot her amongst all of the people.

Someone grabbed his arm. Adrien wasn't surprised to see that it was Chloe.

"Where were you? What did your daddy want? Who cares—dance with me again!" she demanded.

"I don't have time, Chloe," Adrien said distractedly, shaking her off. He finally spotted a dark red dress and headed towards it.

"Marinette!" he called. She looked towards him in surprise, then with annoyance. She proceeded to ignore him, while Nino and Alya stared at him. They all just seemed like they were waiting for him to go away. Never mind how much that hurt, Adrien had a task at hand.

"Marinette," he repeated, grabbing hold of her arm. "Listen, it's important—we need to get out of here."

She shook him off of her in an instant. "Let _go_ of me! Why the _hell_ would I go anywhere with you?"

He had no idea how to explain anything with the loud music surrounding him and what was probably just a few urgent minutes before chaos ensued.

Adrien spoke close to her ear. "My dad just called. My mom stole his miraculous, and she's coming for us. There's going to be an Akuma attack any minute now, and those group of people who kidnapped us last time are going to be here too. We need to get out of here before they have a chance to take what's ours."

Marinette merely stared at him in disbelief. She seemed paler, as if she was truly concerned about this news. But then she glared at him with mistrust evident on her face.

"How do I know this isn't just one of you and your dad's plans to get me cornered and take my miraculous?" she demanded.

"I can't prove that!" Adrien said frustratedly. "Please, trust me just this once! We _need_ to get out of here—"

But it was already too late. A loud _crash_ was heard as some force seemed to have pushed down the main doors off their hinges. The music stopped, and the students began to scream.

There, at the front end of the ballroom, was a giant 15-foot humanoid figure that appeared to be assembled out of car parts. It raised an arm and shot tires out at the crowd.

"Hand over the miraculouses!" It roared in a distorted, robotic scream. The students began running out of the ballroom in panic.

"Marinette! You have to stop this!" Alya said with worry, just about to follow the crowd and leave with Nino.

"I know," she responded with determination, heading towards the opposite direction of her classmates, most likely about to find a place to transform. Adrien followed without hesitation.

Marinette, however, seemed to have noticed. "Why are you following me?" she demanded furiously.

"I'm going to transform," he responded, as if this were obvious. "I'm going to help you fight that thing."

"Like hell you are! The last thing I need is _your_ help! And besides, I always fight alone," she said stubbornly.

"There's a first time for everything," Adrien said frustratedly. "You don't _have_ to fight alone this time. Do you see anyone else running out of this ballroom with super powers? Those people from that...that _organization_ or whatever are going to be showing up too. You need me. So just shut up, I'm helping you whether you like it or not!"

"Whatever!" Marinette said, running out of time and arguments.

Finding a secluded spot near the bathrooms, the two transformed together, and Adrien wondered what it would be like to fight together rather than against each other for the very first time.

* * *

A/N:Wow this update took FOREVER and I'm really sorry...my only excuse is that I started college and it's been kicking my butt. (*loud pre-med student sobbing*) Can't believe that I've been so slow at updating that season 2 is already out! I watched the first 4 episodes on youtube and holy crap! It's so good! So far I haven't come across any elements that will affect this story cause it's an AU anyway lol but I'm enjoying it nonetheless. Thank you for reading and please remember to leave comments!

-Y


	19. Falling Hearts and Chandeliers

The Akuma was gigantic. Ladybug had never seen one this large or vicious. She wondered if perhaps Gabriel was better at controlling them than his wife, who was surely a novice at this.

 _That is one messed up family._..Ladybug thought with exasperation.

She raced across the ballroom, reveling in the freedom of her stretchable suit in contrast with her uncomfortable heels and her tightly-fitted dress.

Chat Noir followed, and Ladybug found this very irritating. He was just going to slow her down. As if Chat had _any_ idea how to work as a team.

The Akuma roared, spotting its two opponents. It was entirely made out of car parts, leading Ladybug to believe that the victim might be a worker at an auto repair shop or someone stuck in traffic. Akumas were usually ridiculously petty, so she wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.

 _"I am Carinator!"_ it roared, ready for battle. Momentarily dumbfounded at its ridiculous name, and ignoring Chat's laughs at its declaration because now was certainly _not_ the time to be amused, she pulled out her yo-yo and latched onto Carinator's shoulder.

She swung herself onto the beast while it tried to shake her off. Ladybug saw Chat ready his baton. Carinator seemed to be confused about which opponent to fight off first, so instead it decided to throw tires at Chat.

He easily deflected the tires with his baton, spinning it around effortlessly in a sort of rhythmic movement. It was almost like he was trying to show off, and Ladybug repressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Don't you get _tired_ of this?" Chat shouted at the monster, smirking as he did.

"Shut UP!" Ladybug yelled back, becoming increasingly annoyed. Now was _not_ the time for car puns.

She focused her attention on Carinator while it was focused on Chat, trying to figure out where the Akumatized object could be. She searched and she searched, wracking her brains to come up with a plan, until Carinator made a sudden movement that threw her off of its vast body.

And she fell 15 feet off the beast, but it happened so quickly that she couldn't even scream. Expecting to fall hard onto the ground, Ladybug braced herself for the worst and hoped that her suit would prevent her from getting too injured to complete the task at hand.

But she didn't land on the cold, hard marble beneath her—instead she fell into the warm, soft arms of Chat Noir.

"I see you're falling for me, my Lady," he grinned.

She was so shocked at everything that had happened so quickly, Ladybug merely blinked in confusion, muttered a hurried " _thanks"_ and pretended like it never happened, once again on her feet and preparing herself to take on the Akuma once again.

Perhaps Chat wasn't so useless after all...but that certainly did nothing to ease her mortification of needing him to come to her rescue. _Again_.

Suddenly, Carinator paused, as if in a trance. It began to speak again, but the robotic voice was more high-pitched this time.

 _"Adrien, Marinette…give up. I don't want to hurt you, but I have little control over this beast. Give my people your miraculouses and you will be safe."_

At this message, Ladybug noticed that the ballroom was filling up with more people. Men and women wearing what seemed to be black police gear and armed with weapons—not guns, by the look of it, Ladybug couldn't quite tell from this distance—approached the battle scene, but they were clearly not police.

"You're the worst mother EVER!" Chat shouted, charging towards Carinator with his baton poised to attack it. But the beast simply swatted him away, and Chat fell onto his back a few feet away.

"Being impulsive won't help!" Ladybug shouted, trying to think hard while the number of opponents just seemed to keep increasing. Now was the time.

"Lucky charm!" she said, but was shocked at what happened next. Ladybug had expected some sort of object to materialize in her hands like always, but instead a large, steel barrier emerged from the ground and surrounded them.

The people in black watched in astonishment as the barrier closed in the Akuma, herself, and Chat in the center of the ballroom, directly underneath the large, glittering chandelier.

"They can't get to us now!" Chat said, watching with surprise. Her lucky charm gave her the power of creation, but never to this extent. Perhaps Tikki had sensed the direness of her situation.

" _No!"_ Carinator shouted, but whether it was the monster or Adrien's mother expressing rage, Ladybug couldn't tell. They didn't even need to worry about the other people now, they could focus solely on the Akuma.

The beast roared, while Ladybug quickly realized she was at the center of battle. This was a tough fight—the akuma was strong, she had already used her lucky charm, and she still didn't know where the source of the Akuma's power was.

"Where is it?" Ladybug said to herself, finally looking towards Chat for help. He scrutinized the Akuma, trying to focus. If he managed to figure this out, Ladybug would finally admit that he wasn't such a bad partner after all.

 _Partner_...she thought to herself. The idea was so strange, so foreign in the context of Chat Noir that it gave her this uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Was it really _so_ bad that he was helping? A part of her really liked having someone watching her back. It was just so weird that that someone happened to be the person who was usually on the opposing side.

"It's in the fuzzy dice!" Chat suddenly said, grabbing her arm in realization. "You know, one of those things people hang on their rearview mirror? It's dangling from it's left arm, do you see it?"

Ladybug looked towards where he was pointing, immensely relieved that she was one step closer to defeating it. She was very, _very_ grateful towards Chat in this moment.

"I need to get to it somehow," Ladybug told him, as she and Chat tried to circle around the monster while avoiding its increasingly less subtle attacks.

"You distract it, I'll climb onto its arm," Chat said.

"Why do I get the easier job?" Ladybug demanded, somewhat touched at his offer to do the riskier of the two tasks. She wasn't so keen on climbing back onto the vicious Akuma again.

"Because I don't want to see you get hurt," Chat admitted rather quickly, and headed off without another word. Ladybug didn't even have time to process this, but it was like every ounce of hatred she had for Chat Noir had dissipated completely in that very moment.

Chat hadn't yet managed to get close enough to Carinator to climb on. It was as if the beast knew exactly what they were trying to do. It roared and began making increasingly threatening movements, swinging its arms around and aiming to knock them off their feet.

This time, however, Carinator swung its arms high up into the air with great force, hitting the chandelier above them. After that, everything happened horrifically, dizzyingly fast.

Ladybug was standing directly underneath the chandelier, and for a split second she knew that she was done for. But then she heard Chat Noir scream "Marinette!", and the next moment she was pushed away with great force.

She face planted onto the ground, sliding away from where she was pushed. It felt like she had broken her nose. Ladybug heard a loud _crash_ and the shattering of a thousand shards of glass. She dared not move for those few seconds as she desperately tried to act, to process everything that had happened.

And then she screamed: " _Chat!"_

Feeling absolutely sick to her stomach, Ladybug pushed herself feebly off of the ground, the pain healing relatively quickly but not fast enough—she slowly got to her feet, turning around and seeing a complete absence of Adrien's mother's henchmen, who seemed to have retreated, and lots and lots of glass.

And then she saw him lying there. Chat Noir—her savior—was laying on his side, not quite at the center of the ballroom but somewhat off to the side, barely missing a direct hit from the chandelier.

She approached him, fear engulfing every cell in her body, having completely forgotten about the beast who also seemed to have stopped just like time itself had gone still around her.

Ladybug didn't care about the glass she stepped on to approach him—she could feel it, but her suit protected her for the most part—and she cleared off a small area next to him and kneeled down beside him.

And when she saw Chat up close, she wanted to scream in shock. It was a horrific sight. A large chunk of glass was lodged into his exposed throat, in the small area where their suits didn't cover them. There was a pool of blood forming around his neck, but he stared back at her nonetheless.

"Princess…" he whispered, his breaths loud and unsteady. "I'm...s-sorry…" he struggled to say these words.

"Adrien," she was sobbing now, placing a hand softly on his arm. "N-no, _I'm_ sorry. I d-didn't give you a chance, I was so stupid and selfish...you didn't _want_ to be a part of all this and I couldn't stop b-blaming you…"

Chat smiled weakly, letting out a shuddering breath. "I love you," he said, the sound of his voice barely audible.

"No!" she choked out, on the verge of hysterical sobs. "D-don't talk like you're not going to make it, I can get help! I need—" Ladybug stammered, pulling out her yo-yo to call for help.

Chat was just staring at her, his eyes becoming increasingly unfocused. It was like someone had stabbed her heart, because she knew, she just _knew_ there was nothing she could do.

Ladybug brushed away a strand of Chat— _Adrien's_ hair from his eyes, and leaned in to give him a soft kiss on his forehead. She was moments away from breaking down screaming and crying, but she couldn't ruin this.

"I love you too," she whispered, fighting back the tears. It was like half of her soul was being ripped apart, like every cell in her body was screaming, _crying_. How could she live after her soulmate was gone? Why had it taken her so long to forgive, so long to _realize_?

And those eyes—those beautiful, _kind_ green eyes—stared back at her, but Adrien wasn't there. They were lifeless.

"NO!" Ladybug screamed, "No! _No!"_ She clutched his body in desperation, wondering how everything had gone so wrong, why she had _let this happen_.

Chat was gone and it was all her fault, she loved him but it was too late. There was nobody here to hear her screams, her cries, except for the menacing beast which seemed to have frozen on the spot.

She glared at the monster, hoping that the dead boy's mother knew what she had done.

"YOU KILLED HIM!" Ladybug screamed. "YOU DID THIS! YOU KILLED YOUR SON AND HE WILL _NEVER_ COME BACK!"

The anger, the grief, the shock and the sadness was overwhelming her. Ladybug wished the ground were suck her in, take her away from here. What petty pursuits had she been focused on just an hour ago? How could that have been from the same reality?

And then it occurred to her…was all hope truly lost?

Ladybug refused to believe that she would never hear Adrien's voice again. She _refused_ to believe that she would never get a chance to truly forgive him. The idea of Adrien being dead...it was impossible. It just couldn't be. She denied his death while clutching his corpse. But was it so unreasonable?

Magic…

She had _magic_.

Ladybug's head turned towards the frozen beast, the fuzzy dice still dangling from its arm. She could reach it with no problem. She could cleanse the Akuma and maybe, just maybe...her Miraculous Ladybug could set things right.

Her Miraculous Ladybug could set centuries old buildings upright, repair devastating damage, and reverse Akuma-induced natural disasters. Could it _possibly_ bring Adrien back to life? Surely that was the reason why nobody had actually been killed in even the most devastating Akuma attacks?

She held Chat's lifeless form in her arms, and Ladybug wondered if it was a longshot. She _had_ to try. She couldn't give up hope.

Ladybug ran to the Akuma, which was still unmoving. Adrien's mother must still have some sort of control over it. She _must_ have realized what she had done. There was no other explanation for why it was simply standing still.

She easily climbed onto the beast and grabbed the fuzzy dice, purifying it within minutes. Jumping off of the now defeated Akuma, it was now the moment of truth.

 _"Miraculous Ladybug!"_ she said, circling the yo-yo above her and hoping desperately that the miracle she needed would happen.

The glass on the floor disappeared, as well as the steel walls closing her in. The chandelier returned to its normal state, showing no evidence of falling off and crushing her soulmate to death.

A man sat in place of the beast, looking extremely confused. He stared at Ladybug for a moment, then paled at the sight of Chat Noir's body. With a panicked expression on his face, the man ran away from the ballroom without a single word and she let him.

Ladybug rushed towards Chat, who de-transformed the moment she approached his body. She held Adrien in her arms, waiting desperately for something to happen.

She noticed that his wound had completely disappeared. All the blood was gone, his neck was completely normal. That _had_ to be a good sign…

Ladybug nearly screamed in surprise when Adrien let out a sudden gasp for breath and his eyes fluttered open. He clutched her arm tightly and he looked at her face before anything else.

"Ladybug?" he gasped, coughing slightly. Adrien touched his neck, as if it was still sore. His kwami, who Ladybug remembered was called Plagg, floated above him with tears in his eyes.

"I can't believe it, kid! How could you _do_ that to me? Just—just _dying_ like that? I thought I was gonna lose another kitten, how rude of you!" Plagg ranted.

"So you _do_ care about me," Adrien said, smiling weakly.

Ladybug couldn't contain herself anymore. She felt her transformation fall as she hugged Adrien tightly, sobbing into his shoulder as if he had died all over again.

"I thought I lost you," she cried, squeezing him with all of her might. Her hands reached up to his hair. It was so soft.

"I would never leave you…" Adrien whispered, hugging her back. It was the greatest feeling in the world. She loved him. She _loved him._ Marinette couldn't imagine hating this boy. This wonderful, amazing human being who was ready to _give up his life_ to save her. He wasn't a threat to her. In fact, he never had been.

They were interrupted by hurried footsteps approaching. Marinette spotted Nino and Alya, looking frightened and miserable. They both looked like they had been crying.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Alya screamed in shock. "HE'S ALIVE!" she repeated, facing Nino in wonderment.

"Oh my god…" Nino exhaled in relief, cupping his face in his hands to console himself.

Marinette stared at them, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "You...you saw what happened?"

Alya nodded, sniffing loudly and wiping her nose, gesturing to the phone in her hand. "When you two left to transform...I—I thought it would be a good way to help Adrien clear Chat Noir's name by showing the world how he was helping Ladybug."

"So we went upstairs and found one of these little balconies overlooking the ballroom," Nino said, pointing to said balcony which was indeed in clear sight of the massive room. Marinette must not have realized they were there amid all the chaos, but it was too high up for her to have noticed anyway.

Alya was sobbing lightly again. "It was all going fine, but then...but then the chandelier fell and that's when I had to stop recording. I felt like I was going to throw up…I couldn't believe what was happening...I can't believe what you _did_ , Adrien!"

"We thought you were gone," Nino said gravely. "That's why we came down here…"

"It was my Miraculous Ladybug," Marinette said, still in somewhat of a daze. "It saved him."

The sound of chatter and footsteps interrupted them, and Marinette quickly realized that her entire school was returning to the dance. The ballroom was back to normal, but her classmates still looked uneasy. It had been longer than usual since the last Akuma attack, so everyone must have been shocked that it would happen at their long-planned school dance of all places.

Adrien managed to sit up, apparently trying to act normal now that he was surrounded by so many people. Or however normal one might be after dying.

"Any sign of Ladybug?" Principal Damocles asked, noticing the four of them.

"She just left," Marinette answered.

"Thank goodness for her...guess the party is back on!" Principal Damocles proclaimed. "You kids should get some food, it's been long enough."

Pretty soon, the ballroom was full again while Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino watched, not speaking but clearly collectively disinterested.

"I guess food doesn't sound so bad," Nino sighed. They lined up at the long buffet table, where caterers were bringing trays and utensils.

Marinette wasn't particularly hungry, especially after what had happened. But she still needed to find something sweet to give to Tikki, who was most likely starving and exhausted after that particularly rough Akuma battle.

As she waited, Marinette couldn't help but stare at Adrien, who still looked paler than usual but otherwise unshaken. She dared not imagine a world where her powers hadn't worked...

* * *

Adrien held a small plateful of food (most of it cheese,) as he waited for Marinette to leave the line. He didn't know exactly why he was waiting for her. They were supposed to be heading towards the same table anyway.

The prospect of returning to where all of his classmates were packed together seemed daunting, since he just wanted to be alone. It was his second near-death experience in just a matter of weeks. Maybe that was why he was handling it surprisingly well...Adrien also had a difficult time remembering it.

His heart skipped a beat as Marinette approached him. The way she looked at Adrien was softer now. The defiant anger she had been directing toward him for weeks was gone. This was enough to send his heart into overdrive.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered close to his ear. It was like she had read his mind.

Marinette led the way towards one of the smaller doors that led out of the ballroom. They made sure none of their teachers saw them as they left, plates of food for their kwamis in hand.

They made their way down a small hallway lined with mirrors and flowers. It led to another door, which opened to reveal a beautiful, circular indoor garden.

There were skylights up above, revealing an almost full moon and vaguely visible stars. An abundance of plants surrounded them, and in the middle was a beautiful fountain. It was so calm, so quiet in here except for the sound of water trickling down the fountain.

Compared to the noise of the ballroom and all the chaos that had ensued over there, it was like Adrien has stepped into another dimension.

"How did you know this was here?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My parents catered a wedding here a few years back. I remember exploring the hotel because I had nothing else to do," she responded, handing a cookie to her kwami. Adrien was getting used to the sight of her kwami, so red and polite and completely unlike Plagg.

He didn't even need to give anything to Plagg, who was already munching on the variety of cheeses that had been available.

Adrien sat down on the small stone bench next to her, staring at the fountain and the water's steady movement. There were a thousand thoughts swirling around in his head, he had no clue where to start.

"I'm sorry," he said. The words seemed weak and meaningless coming out of his mouth. How could he possibly express his regret of hurting the person he loved most in the entire world?

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Marinette insisted. "I'm sorry for being so selfish. I never even bothered thinking about all of this from your point of view. I mean, what choice did you have? Your father practically forced you into all of this. You just wanted your mother back. I just got in your way."

Adrien was taken aback by her counter-apology. He wondered if the Akuma attack was the reason for her sudden change of mind. His memory after pushing Marinette out of the way from the chandelier was foggy, but he could somewhat remember her crying and saying things that brought him peace while at the brink of death.

Marinette continued. "I was wrong. You were just a pawn in your father's crazy scheme."

"No, no…" Adrien shook his head. "Stop making me seem so helpless in the situation. I knew that everything I was doing was wrong. It just felt so good not having to be this...this _perfect,_ cultured, rich boy for once. I liked being bad, I liked scaring people. And most of all, I enjoyed doing stupid stuff like robbing banks just to get your attention. My mother was the motive, sure, but I got carried away."

Marinette stared at him. "You robbed banks to get my attention?"

Adrien chuckled regretfully. "Yeah. It was the only way I could see you without having to deal with a stupid Akuma at the same time. It made father so mad."

"So...what did you do with the money? You kept it?"

"Oh no," Adrien said. "I couldn't care less about the money. No, I donated it all. Made sure the people I took it from were already filthy rich, so it wouldn't make much of a difference to them anyway…"

"It's still wrong," Marinette frowned.

"I know," Adrien sighed, staring at the flowers in front of him. He didn't dare look at her in the eye. "Like I said, I was stupid. But don't you see? I didn't think anything through because all I cared about was getting to see you. I...I had a crush on Ladybug since the day I met you!" Adrien turned slightly red as he admitted the last part.

He finally looked up and saw the shocked look on her face.

"Since the very beginning?" Marinette said, dumbfounded.

Adrien nodded.

"That doesn't make sense," Marinette said, her nose scrunched up in confusion. "You hated me. We _hated_ each other. I thought you wanted me dead!"

At this, Adrien burst out laughing. He didn't know if it was the stress, the tiredness, or his general self-loathing that prolonged his laughter, but Marinette was staring at him as tears formed in his eyes.

"Oh—oh, sorry about that," Adrien laughed, taking a second to gasp for air. "Marinette, if you had known from the very start, that I would have rather _killed_ myself than watch you get seriously hurt, every battle we ever had would have been a lot less scary for you."

"You're not just making this up because now you know _I'm_ Ladybug?" she said, looking unconvinced.

"I'm not," Adrien said firmly, lightly grasping her hand and looking directly in her eyes to prove his honesty. "Every second, every _moment_ , I was just putting on an act. I just had to make you _think_ I was going to hurt you. And I know that doesn't make me any less of a terrible person, but I just really need you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. And I know there were times where I kind of did, but I always knew when to stop."

She looked away for a few moments, contemplating his words. Adrien stared at her, transfixed by her beauty in the moonlight. If she forgave him despite...well, _everything_ , he would be the luckiest person in the whole world.

"The fights, the danger, that wasn't even the worst of it," Ladybug said. "We were so manipulative to each other. Like that one time I talked to you in the park when you were just Adrien and I was Ladybug. You tried to get me to tell you my identity by flirting with me, remember?"

Adrien nodded, suddenly filled with shame at the memory. He had been desperate. Stupid father and his stupid deadlines…

"Well, I can't completely blame you for that because I manipulated you too. You just wanted to get to know me as Marinette while you were Chat and I was taking advantage of your friendship."

"Not one of your best moments," Adrien muttered, remembering how hurt he had been when he found out that his suspicions about Marinette had been true. "But you were getting sympathetic towards Chat near the end, after you saved me from drowning. You told me about it." Adrien thought back to the last conversation they ever had before knowing each other's identities at Marinette's sleepover.

"Oh, the irony," Marinette mused, also reflecting on that conversation. "I was talking to _you_ about Chat Noir…"

Adrien laughed. "Oh, I remember...I had to act all surprised about you telling me about that. And then I accidentally called you Princess."

Marinette shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't realize it right then. Or when I started dating you and then you showed up as Chat Noir and started asking me all of those personal relationship questions. Or that time you seemed to get all mad at me in class for walking home alone...you knew I was lying!"

"Yeah well, I should have known it was you when I fell in love with the same girl twice," Adrien said, not realizing the gravity of his words until after they had left his mouth.

Marinette stared at him with her mouth slightly agape.

* * *

Adrien loved her.

" _I fell in love with the same girl twice."_ The words resonated in her mind, in her heart, her soul...at first, they were difficult to process. But at the same time...everything was clear.

"Marinette, please say something…" Adrien said, a worried expression on his face.

"I…" Marinette began, not knowing what she could possibly say to this.

 _Love_. _Hate_.

The boy sitting beside her was the target of both of these emotions, the extremes of both. She had loved him more than anyone else in the world. She had hated him more than anyone else in the world.

"You don't have to say anything," Adrien said quickly, looking as if he had regretted saying this. "Look, we can forget I ever said it. I just don't want to lie to you anymore. We've had enough of that."

"Do you want the truth?" Marinette said quietly. Her heart was going to do the talking now. She had no clue what words were about to come out of her mouth, or even if they would make any sense.

"When you...when you _died_...I felt like a piece of my soul was being ripped away from me. I didn't think I could ever continue living without you. I refused to accept that you were gone," Marinette began. Adrien looked solemn as she spoke.

"I couldn't believe that you had literally _given up your life_ for me. But see, that extreme sacrifice wasn't _necessary_ for me to forgive you. It's when you tried your best to help me during that battle. When you took those crazy risks while fighting the Akuma. It felt so good having a partner. It felt so... _right_ , like we had been doing things wrong from the very start. And that's when I knew...Tikki was right."

Adrien stared at her. "About what?"

Marinette took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to say was stupid, cliche, but something she knew deep in her heart to be true.

"That you're my soulmate," she said.

Now it was Adrien's turn to be speechless. He blinked in confusion, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Then he seemed to finally gather the courage to respond.

"You would say that despite everything that happened between us?"

"It's crazy, isn't it?" Marinette laughed lightly. "A week ago I was so angry at you. You were being so rude, so unkind, I thought I was right about you being a horrible person…"

"I'm sorry," Adrien said quickly, looking genuinely concerned at these words. "I'm sorry I was acting like such a jerk. I was...I was upset that you weren't giving me a chance. You kept blaming me for everything and I reacted badly."

"I understand," Marinette said calmly. "But don't you see? You used to insult me all the time as Chat Noir, and I didn't care. But when you did that as Adrien it killed me every time. And the only reason I can think of for that difference is because I cared about _you_ , so I cared about what you _said_."

"Ha! I was right!" Plagg suddenly interjected. Tikki glared at him and silently scolded him for butting in.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette…" Adrien said, visible tears forming in his eyes.

Marinette squeezed his hand. "Look, I'll say this once very, very clearly. After that you're _not_ allowed to apologize anymore."

Adrien stared at her, then opened his mouth to object. Marinette simply held a finger to his mouth to keep him quiet.

"Adrien, I forgive you. On one condition…" she said slyly, feeling a blush rising on her cheeks. Marinette couldn't believe she was about to say this.

"Anything," Adrien whispered.

"Kiss me," she breathed back.

Marinette didn't need to ask twice. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as her lips met his. The kiss was soft, gentle, yet desperate at the same time. Nothing had ever felt so perfect, so _right_ in her entire life. There was no more hatred, no more regrets.

Her first kiss on the rooftop had been with Adrien after all, just as she had hoped. But _this_ kiss; right here, right now, was bliss. The moonlight surrounded them, illuminated their faces.

And when they separated, they smiled.

"You're not going to start crying again, are you?" Adrien teased lightly.

"I might...just because it was so amazing," Marinette said, resting her head on his shoulder.

And so they spent the rest of the dance alone together, laughing and talking, lamenting their mistakes and discussing the irony of all their shared moments before their identities had been revealed.

Marinette thought it was bizarre, completely absurd, that just a month or two ago she would have done anything to get rid of Chat Noir from her life for good.

Now she wanted him to stay forever.

* * *

A/N:Credit to Dr. Doofenshmirtz for the Akuma name inspiration lol because I couldn't think of anything and my sister was watching Phineas and Ferb in the other room! Anyway this chapter took forever cause I wanted it to be SO PERFECT because this final conversation was basically what this entire story was leading up to. Oh and sorry for temporary killing off Adrien but come on did anyone think I would actually do that? Anyway just one more chapter left which will mostly deal with tying up loose ends especially regarding Adrien's parents and Chat Noir's lifestyle /

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to leave comments! I really want to hear what you guys think!

-Y


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